A huge crowd took to the streets of Dublin on Saturday, July 5, to march at an all-island housing rally. A queer bloc also took part in the demonstration, highlighting how LGBTQ+ people face higher levels of homelessness and discrimination in accessing emergency accommodation.
Organised by the Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) and backed by over 80 trade unions and organisations, the demo saw people from all over the island come together in Dublin to demand action on Ireland’s ongoing housing crisis. Protesters called on both the Dáil and Stormont to immediately implement measures to protect people from homelessness.
Marching from the Garden of Remembrance to Molesworth Street, the crowd carried signs reading “The housing crisis is a political choice”, “Landlords are guilty” and “Homes not housing lets”. People also chanted against the government’s inaction and the exploitation of tenants, highlighting other social issues such as discrimination against migrants and economic inequality.
Speakers addressed the crowd at the end of the rally, calling for a series of measures to protect people from homelessness across the island. CATU is calling for the reinstatement of the eviction ban, which ended in March 2023, as well as a commitment from the government to ensure that no child is living in emergency accommodations by 2026.
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According to the latest figures, over 15,000 people are currently living in emergency accommodation, including 4,844 children. These numbers do not include people rough sleeping, refugees, asylum seekers, individuals in domestic violence shelters, or those experiencing “hidden homelessness”, such as sleeping in cars, on couches, or other unsuitable living conditions.
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CATU is also demanding an expansion of mental health and addiction supports to ensure the needs of people forced into the homeless system are met.
A number of activists also formed a queer bloc at the Dublin rally, highlighting the specific challenges that LGBTQ+ people face in the housing crisis. These include higher-than-average homelessness rates, difficulties accessing emergency accommodation, and discrimination by parents and landlords.
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