Will you be there?

Multiple action groups, as well as political parties Sinn Féin and People Before Profit, will be joining a protest on the issue of housing at Cork City’s Grand Parade tomorrow (Saturday, 11th September).

The protest will begin at 12.30, and organisers have promised that it will be a socially distanced affair. Supporting the march are groups such as CATU Cork and Travellers of North Cork.

“The social contract is truly broken. We have to organise together to fight back because the Government do not care about us,” tweeted the Homeless & Housing Coalition, the original organisers of the march.

#Cork #HousingCrisis rally this Saturday 11th Sep at 12.30pm Grand Parade.

Housing distress is getting worse all over Ireland. Join the protest! #HomesForAll https://t.co/qJ5swhLmjy pic.twitter.com/1xTDSzqO6R

— Homeless & Housing Coalition (@_HousingCrisis) September 8, 2021

On the event page, the organisation has argued that “it has become obvious in the past 18 months of the pandemic that the housing crisis affects people from all walks of life and increasingly so. People’s lives are being put on hold because they can’t access secure, affordable, or public housing. An entire generation is being treated with contempt by this government.

“Every piece of legislation passed that favours landlords and vulture funds is another kick in the teeth to those caught at the coal face of this crisis – a crisis made by government policy and made worse by them year after year.

“Government policy in the past five years has increasingly favoured vulture funds and corporate landlords over people who need safe and secure homes. The homeless are dying on the streets.

“Rents are out of control. Vulture funds are buying up homes all over Ireland. Student accommodation costs are spiralling upwards.”

The protest comes in the midst of reports that over 100 students in Cork are living in a youth hostel, as they are unable to find permanent accommodation within the city.