The Government have no idea what to do about the homeless crisis which is out of control, according to Fr Peter McVerry.
He was speaking at the launch of a proposal for ‘Solidarity Housing: Getting the vultures out of Irish Housing’, which would see the State step in to build more social houses.
It would take control away from local authorities who have not been building enough homes.
Workers Party Councillor Eilis Ryan contrasted the proposal with Dublin City Council’s Housing Land Initiative, under which the council proposes to hand over land at O’Devaney Gardens (Dublin 7), St. Michael’s Estate (Dublin 8) and Oscar Traynor Road (Dublin 9) to private developers.
She said: “The Housing Land Initiative reduces the amount of public housing on O’Devaney Gardens to just 30%.
“By contrast, under Solidarity Housing 50% of housing would be allocated to households with average or below average household incomes, with the remaining 50% allocated to households who, despite earning above the average wage, struggle to meet the escalating costs of private housing.”
Cllr Ryan said that all households would be equal stakeholders, renting from the State, with full security of tenure.
She said: “Solidarity Housing envisages that, within any given development, the State would rent 50% of homes to households who currently qualify for social housing and the rest to those who are not currently eligible for social housing.
“Rent for all households would be calculated as 15% of income up to €35,000, plus 30% of income above €35,000. A household with an income of €50,000 would pay a monthly rent of around €870 – significantly less than the current average market rent of €1,500 for a three-bedroom home in Dublin.”
Welcoming the Workers’ Party’s proposals, Fr Peter McVerry said: “The only way to ensure security of tenure and affordable accommodation for low income families and those who are homeless is through social housing, that is housing that is under the control of the local authorities.
“The private rented sector does not qualify as secure housing. We need to return to the previous decades of large scale housing built by and for the local authorities, if we are to give everyone the right to a home.”
Workers’ Party Dublin Northwest representative, Jimmy Dignam, added that it would also result in significant cost savings for the State.
He said: “Higher income earners can contribute to costs in a way that is not possible when social housing focuses only on the lowest income earners.
“In areas such as Ballymun, Finglas and Oscar Traynor Road, with large amounts of public land, Solidarity Housing offers an opportunity to develop communities that are integrated and accessible to all, without the State giveaways which have characterised Public Private Partnerships in the past.”
