This housing crisis is happening because of the irresponsible and ignorant actions that this country’s government has taken over the last 10 years since the end of the Celtic tiger. This is a crisis of massive proportion where everyone is affected no matter your political ideals, religious beliefs, sexuality or identity.

Young LGBT+ people trapped in a situation of emotional and physical abuse at home may find leaving the family home is the best option. The majority of the young LGBT+ people who risk it all will possibly end up on the cold dark streets. LGBT+ young people seem to be over-represented on the streets of Dublin. When you are starting third level education, it should be the greatest experience but it is not like that for some people my age because they have nowhere to go when their lectures finish for the day. We need safe housing where we can take out our laptops, books, pencil cases and everything else to do our projects, or achieve our degrees so that we can fight back.

The statistics on the housing crisis and the figures of LGBT+ youth homelessness are there, and it doesn’t take long to grasp how serious it is of a problem to the LGBT+ community. When I read the statistics and percentages of homelessness it truly breaks my heart but also reminds me why we all must fight until the end. Most homelessness services are ill-equipped and overwhelmed to deal with the set of problems that young LGBT+ people suffer from. LGBT+ homelessness is on the rise and we must do something, anything, now to solve this crisis. We must get our megaphones, our banners and our marching boots on.

Leo Varadkar is not a true supporter. He, his party and his cronies do not care about the community and everything we have been through and everything we will continue to go through. A proposed €500 million rainy day fund and a visit from the Pope that cost upwards of €20 million while the housing crisis happens around us is only a further example of the lack of respect we receive from the government – an institution that is supposed to serve us, not the wealthy.

We shouldn’t have to couch surf, sleep in Garda stations, live in a car and take out loans to afford accommodation, because that is not what people my age should have to do when we are studying, but nonetheless, we must because that is now the norm of this country. This is the reality we as students must face.

I am so god damn proud to part of a community and movement that fights back against this inhumane treatment. We are so supportive and resilient, it is a genuine privilege to witness this happen. We as the future must stand up, fight back, take back the city, raise the roof and lock arms as the resistance to tackle oppression and inhumane treatment.

It is right now when we must make our voices heard because we might not get another chance!

“Activism is the rent I pay to live on this Planet” – Alice Malsenior Walker.