Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD has urged the public to sign the campaigning group Uplift’s petition to support the Home Sweet Home campaign.

The Home Sweet Home group has occupied a NAMA-controlled building in Dublin City centre in order to use the empty building to house the homeless.

Musicians Damien Dempsey and Glen Hansard and actor John Connors were present at Tara Street where a group entered Apollo House.

Apollo House was formerly used by the Department of Social Protection, but was vacated last year.

The Irish Housing Network says it led the action at the NAMA owned building to provide accommodation for the city’s homeless.

Speaking in the Dáil today, Deputy Ó Broin said: “Ordinary citizens should not have to do this. The occupation of the building by these activists demonstrates the level of anger citizens feel about the lack of real government action on the homelessness issue.

“The Uplift petition is calling for the Government to finally end homelessness and give it the same level of priority shown to bailing out the banks.

“This means an end to rough sleeping, an end to people living long term in emergency accommodation and an end to social housing waiting lists.”