Conor Skehan :'Nothing but the facts will do when tackling homelessness'

I have no evidence other than perhaps a misplaced trust in people to generally (I did state minority) do the right thing by their children. I don't see any evidence for the opposing view either. Conor Skehan doesn't actually state anywhere in the article that people are deliberately overstaying in hotel/b&b accommodation in order to game the system.
The right thing by their children is to get a house, the best house they can get, even if that involves lying.
 
Why not think of this another way. If you had no job, and no income other than the dole. Would you stay in Dublin with your children in a hotel room for a year or two or three? Or would you move to rural Ireland and rent a house, paid for by the state?
You'd stay in Dublin if you were really only spending half the time or less in the B&B and the rest with your parents in their council house, just like people did for decades before the State giving you a house became a human right.
 
A lot of Charities = a lot of CEO's, CFO's, Policy Officers, HR Heads etc. Its a racket and everyone and anyone is getting in on it.

I saw last night on the Claire Byrne Show a charity from Portlaoise that come up to Dublin 2 nights a week to give out food and clothes. Another lad who's coming up from Monaghan with hundreds of coats and hangs them on the Ha'penny bridge every week but now the Corpo are removing them.

Madness
Yes oddly Dublin is full of people giving to charity who wouldn't dream of letting a homeless person into their home. (not would I btw). There are council houses that have three or four bedrooms where the original occupants have passed it down to their single son or daugher. Or same house but sons and daughters have moved out and parents are still in the council house either as a couple or single.
 
I think there's a lot of merit in the article but disparaging people who live in B&Bs or Hotels where families have to walk the streets during the day and have nowhere suitable to do their homework is obnoxious - some of them may be waiting and playing the system for "a forever home" but I would think that's a very small minority, a little bit of empathy wouldn't go astray. Season's greetings and all that.

But we have afterschool clubs, library's, relatives houses. The houses may not be big enough to have beds in them for the people who don't live there but there is still space to do homework etc.

While the above is not ideal it can work.

Another poster commented about moving out of Dublin. I know if I had a choice between my family being homeless and living in a B&B, Hub or hotel or been given a property outside of Dublin and I was not working I would take the property in a heartbeat.

It appears that people want a particular property/location but need a property/location. There is a difference between want and need but some people don't or won't differentiate between them.
 
You'd stay in Dublin if you were really only spending half the time or less in the B&B and the rest with your parents in their council house, just like people did for decades before the State giving you a house became a human right.
I wouldn't last in a B&B for a day never mind a week. But if I wanted to get a free house in Dublin I might. Particularly if I had nothing else and I had no intention of working. My siblings had to work in Dublin. When they couldn't afford Dublin rents they lived out of town wherever that was. And if that didn't make sense they moved elsewhere. I've had siblings and friends in Dublin city center, staying with relatives, digs, moving out to Kildare etc. Moving out of a Dublin apartment when it got too small for the growing family. Not one of them ever spent a night in a B&B or hotel. And when they lost jobs they moved home or back to a spouse (celtic tiger to bust to boom). I know many people from abroad who are moving to Dublin. Despite the accommodation crisis.
 
I think there's a lot of merit in the article but disparaging people who live in B&Bs or Hotels where families have to walk the streets during the day and have nowhere suitable to do their homework is obnoxious - some of them may be waiting and playing the system for "a forever home" but I would think that's a very small minority, a little bit of empathy wouldn't go astray. Season's greetings and all that.
If I were in a hotel with a load of other people I'd ask the hotel if I could use a function room to organise homework classes (when the function room was empty) and I'd make sure that I'd leave the space spotless so the hotel would be happy to accommodate me.

If that didn't work I'd go to the local library and get my kids to do their homework there.

Honestly it's like everybody has turned into a baby. I heard a refugee a couple of weeks ago whose children weren't allowed to to school and so were watching tv all the time. Has she never heard of a book or turning off the tv.
 
Aghhh Brendan, this does not suit the prevailing narrative of SF, PBF, Solidarity, Cillian Murphy, Glen Hansard etc etc. Everything’s the fault of the Government, clearly. Of course houses can be built in a week, everyone knows that. And sure nobody ever objects to proposed housing and apartment developments. Stick to the script Brendan.
Did those people not occupy an empty building a year back and try and put homeless people into it. Until it all went pear shaped. Because much like the state there are some people it's near impossible to help.

(there are objections this week to a housing developement of 1K homes)
 
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It is difficult to define the "homeless".
I currently have 8 people sharing my 3 bedroom house. It is not ideal.
One is a student, and can pay his way.

The others are non-Irish (but legally resident) immigrants (?) refugees (?) not related to me.
One couple have the sole earner now on unpaid sick leave for months, with no income. The family with 3 children have two part-time minimum wages coming in. Neither family is in a position to cover rent and utility bills.

Nevertheless, I did respond to an agency advert for a 3 bedroom house for rent, thinking they might manage it with a little assistance, but was told the property was not suitable for a family with three children. Each child had to have its own bedroom.

We are all, including me, very thankful to have a roof over our heads, even if it's not the warmest or most comfortable.
It is a terrifying thought that if something happens to me, these families would truly be homeless.
They are not currently shown on any list as homeless, but if we were ever to be officially inspected, the accommodation would surely be regarded as unsuitable.

I don't like the superciliousness in this thread about desire for "forever houses". There are many not-exactly-homeless people in the same position who would take up any rental property they could afford, and make the best of it. But the properties are not available, affordable, or the agents and landlords are considering only the cream of rental applications.
 
I have an acquaintance living not too far from us.He has a city council 3 bed house to himself at very low rent.He is kinda separated from wife and kids who live in another country not too far away. 2 kids visit briefly maybe twice a year.He spends a lot of time abroad. I suggested once or twice to him that he must come under pressure to share the house or give up 3 bed for a family.He never does.Seems fact that kids visit occasionally means he retains entitlement to 3 bed.Seems very,very generous if accomodation is as scarce as we are told.Maybe its easier leave him there than find a one bed but seems a bit crazy.
 
Nice Christmas spirit on show here folks, hope you enjoyed a good nights sleep and the Latte tastes good this morning.

To homeless person "what are you complaining about, ....dont you know its much worse in London, New York , San Fran, ......Alleppo, Aden...Gaza"

Lovely.

The simple solution to homelessness is guess what...to build houses.



Otherwise you'll pay a multiple of the costs in prisons, joblessness, drugs, healthcare.

And please, to the landlords , give up the moaning about how much income tax you pay on rental incomes. Your rents are at levels that you could not have dreamt about 10 yrs ago, and besides, its not as it you actually scrubbed a toilet to earn the money.

Fidel
 
Nice Christmas spirit on show here folks, hope you enjoyed a good nights sleep and the Latte tastes good this morning.
Thank you and yes, it was lovely.
The simple solution to homelessness is guess what...to build houses.
Yes, That's what many of us have been saying. I've been pointing out how difficult that it due to labour shortages.
The Finns have endless amounts of money and their bright shining solution is communal living. The Loony Left has already rules that out and the spineless cowards in FF have, as usual, danced to the Shinner's tune.
Your rents are at levels that you could not have dreamt about 10 yrs ago
10 years ago they were losing money.
and besides, its not as it you actually scrubbed a toilet to earn the money.
How do you know?
 
And please, to the landlords , give up the moaning about how much income tax you pay on rental incomes. Your rents are at levels that you could not have dreamt about 10 yrs ago, and besides, its not as it you actually scrubbed a toilet to earn the money.

Oh yes I have absolutely scrubbed toilets. Cleaned out the most dire fridges and encrusted cookers. Rebagged gardens of household rubbish.

All my rents are not just below market rates, but way below. Tax take has increased. I'm now in a situation that I want to majorily renovate my properties but I've to comply with a whole host of bureaucroacy to do so. So I'm not going to renovate now, I'm going to wait and then evict my tenants, to the letter of the law, which the RTB recently helpfully sent to me (and other landlords). And then yes I might get amazing rent. Or I might very well decide to sell as the hassle is getting worse (annual rtb registration now to drive us all crazy)

Are you taking in the homeless to your spare room?

I'm housing refugess, asylum seekers, economic emigrants. Before them it was Polish and Lituanian workers. Now most of my rent comes from the government via HAP. Some of my tenants will not turn on the heat and my property is deteroriating. Which is why I have to renovate. The new standards are higher than what I have in my own home.
 
10 years ago they were losing money.

And there were many voids too. It is a cyclical business. And each time the governement intervens they make it worse. All the landlords threatened with this latest law should up their rents. I know I wish I had. But I naively didn't want to do it to my tenants. More fool me.
 
And there were many voids too. It is a cyclical business. And each time the governement intervens they make it worse. All the landlords threatened with this latest law should up their rents. I know I wish I had. But I naively didn't want to do it to my tenants. More fool me.
I moved into my current house 4 years ago. Recognising that I am an excellent tenant and that coming up with the rent each month was a struggle my landlord lowered it by €100 a month. He has not increased it since. I'm currently paying about €500 - €600 a month below the market rate. If I move out he can't increase it much now and if the Shinners and their FF lap dogs get their way he won't be able to increase it at all. Why should my landlord be punished for being nice?
 
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