{"id":858,"date":"2020-01-21T12:29:44","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T12:29:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/making-housing-affordable-and-eradicating-the-scandal-of-homelessness-socdems-launch-housing-policy\/"},"modified":"2020-01-21T12:29:44","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T12:29:44","slug":"making-housing-affordable-and-eradicating-the-scandal-of-homelessness-socdems-launch-housing-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/ga\/making-housing-affordable-and-eradicating-the-scandal-of-homelessness-socdems-launch-housing-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Making housing affordable and eradicating the scandal of homelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy today launches the Party\u2019s housing manifesto for the general election. Called \u2018Homes within Reach: Making housing available, making housing affordable<\/em>\u2019 the manifesto outlines a comprehensive plan to radically rethink public policy to address the housing crisis Ireland faces.<\/p>\n

Speaking ahead of the launch,\u00a0Catherine Murphy<\/strong>\u00a0said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key focus in our housing plans is to\u00a0deliver good quality housing at the lowest possible cost to purchasers and renters, rather than the highest possible profit to developers and land speculators<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a\u00a0failed political ideology<\/strong>\u00a0at the heart of the last governments approach to housing, one which relies on \u2018the market\u2019 to deliver the housing so urgently needed. This Fine Gael government did not want the state to compete with private developers and so in a blatant disregard of one of their primary responsibilities as a government, has consigned thousands of people to the highest rents ever, homes that are just unaffordable to buy and over 10,000 people to homelessness.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our policies launched today aim to\u00a0radically shift the balance back to the State as a key provider of housing that is affordable to buy or rent and of social housing<\/strong>. We expect the State to intervene in the market on behalf of its people \u2013 and we set out how that can happen. And we expect the State to be a vital player in making housing affordable for people \u2013 affordable to buy and affordable to rent.<\/p>\n

\u2018We would\u00a0radically scale up the planned number of houses being built by the State, on public lands<\/strong>, to an average of 20,000 a year, 100,000 over the lifetime of the next D\u00e1il, as capacity increases. This would need the government\u2019s weak Land Development Agency to be re-established as a\u00a0powerful Housing Delivery Agency<\/strong>\u00a0with teeth and targets<\/strong>\u00a0to deliver on this ambitious housing programme.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also speaking on our housing manifesto launch,\u00a0Carly Bailey, the candidate in Dublin South West<\/strong>, said:<\/p>\n

\u2018The\u00a0level of homelessness is an affront to us and to Irish people<\/strong>\u00a0and is one of the most disgraceful legacies of this Fine Gael government, supported by Fianna F\u00e1il. We believe that the homelessness crisis is entirely predictable, following government policies. The next D\u00e1il can\u00a0eradicate homelessness by following a \u2018Housing First\u2019 model<\/strong>\u00a0and by building the social and affordable housing that is needed. It just needs political will and courage. We will not be found wanting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of our key proposals are:<\/p>\n