(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post
|
I just saw the video featuring Diarmuid Lyng of the Gaelic Voices for Change Campaign, and I just want to say publicly here Big Respect to all involved. The homeless crisis that has been allowed to develop in Ireland over the last few years is atrocious beyond belief, and the inhumanity of it deeply affects at least my very sense of Irishness. Especially with the narrative of how British landlords evected our ancestors from their homes being such a fundamental cornerstone of the quest for independence, it is great to see some sportspeople of our national games now standing up to ensure that the plight of those misfortunes on the streets cannot be easily swept under the carpet. MiAmigaVERONICA (Clare) - Posts: 300 - 05/12/2017 22:03:57 2064510 Link 2 |
|
PyatPree (Cork) - Posts: 376 - 06/12/2017 21:11:34 2064577 Link 0 |
|
How many of these homeless are Irish?
Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2463 - 06/12/2017 21:55:58 2064579 Link 0 |
|
Almost all. However, there are two very distinct categories of homeless people. Until the media reports this accurately and we understand the reasons for people being homeless, we'll never resolve the issue. I heard Diarmuid Lyng's piece on Newstalk earlier this week. It's a great initiative and he comes across as a very good person with great social awareness. However, while speaking even he potentially misrepresented the issue. While mentioning the thousands who are homeless, which is correct, he referred to the fact that nobody should have to sleep on the streets, which is obviously also absolutely correct. Most of the people who are homeless are those who can't get permanent accommodation due to availability and cost reasons. These are often mothers with young kids. They are not sleeping on the streets however, but mostly in temporary accommodation, which isn't right but is still better than sleeping rough. Their issue can be resolved with greater availability of cost effective accommodation. Not an easy solution but one which is definitely achievable. The other distinct group is people who are actually sleeping rough. They are a much smaller number but are at the greatest risk and need urgent help. These people are homeless generally as a result of addiction, social problems, mental health issues etc. There is actually shelter accommodation for everyone who is on the streets, but they can't/won't avail of it for the reasons above. Providing a roof isn't the answer to help these people. They need support to deal with the real issues which resulted in them becoming homeless. Also greater investment in dealing with addiction in communities where it's prevalent 'epuld prevent a huge amount of people becoming homeless. Until the focus is put on this, I'm afraid the situation won't change. It definitely doesn't help when the media puts everyone into the same bucket and paints an inaccurate picture. Fair play to Diarmuid for raising awareness. WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2040 - 07/12/2017 09:07:18 2064592 Link 0 |
|
Does that matter? Should any person have to go without a roof over their head in any country?
gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 07/12/2017 16:23:11 2064619 Link 0 |
|
what the hell has that got to do with it?
Stmunnsriver (Wexford) - Posts: 2842 - 07/12/2017 17:54:13 2064628 Link 0 |
|
In my humble opinion the media has not and will not ever report anything accurately unless it sells papers, homelessness is a throw away comment, like lots of other important issues. The world is changing at a rapid pace, and because Ireland is a much much smaller place it too is changing much, much faster, along with that not everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet, that word hypocracicity is inclined to creep into a lot of topics, debates or whatever. I didn't hear Diarmuid Lyng's piece on Newstalk, he apparently highlighted the obvious but from a different perspective and tapped into the imagination of almost everyone. Homelessness is a variable, as is, our financial personal issues, or our zero working hours issues, or our low paid issues, or our hospital waiting list issues, our domestic and related issues the list goes on. The UK has a population of 60 million, so on a pro rata basis how do we neighbouring countries compare. One of the problems is, knowing where to start to fix the problem, that in itself is a problem, then who wants to take on the task of doing the job. supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 2907 - 07/12/2017 20:51:24 2064638 Link 0 |
|
A bit ironic coming from someone who is living in London.
OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 07/12/2017 23:58:44 2064645 Link 0 |
|
How is it ironic?
Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2463 - 08/12/2017 18:25:01 2064685 Link 0 |
|
What a balluba!
Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 08/12/2017 18:40:53 2064689 Link 0 |
|
Yet more irony. (:
Westfester (Limerick) - Posts: 943 - 08/12/2017 19:08:13 2064693 Link 0 |
|
To get back on topic, I would like to commend all involved with the Gaelic Voices for Change campaign for their brilliant work in tackling such serious issues. gaelicgab (USA) - Posts: 878 - 08/12/2017 19:27:54 2064695 Link 0 |
|
And you'd know coming from the home of them.
Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 08/12/2017 19:37:17 2064696 Link 0 |
|
Fair play to Diarmuid Lyng and the others involved in this. The more attention this crisis gets the more chance of positive solutions being found. Westfester (Limerick) - Posts: 943 - 08/12/2017 20:46:13 2064704 Link 0 |
|
Dubhlinn could I respectfully suggest that you look up the origin of the word you used.
Westfester (Limerick) - Posts: 943 - 08/12/2017 21:27:36 2064706 Link 0 |
|
Look it up and you will see.
OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 08/12/2017 21:57:00 2064709 Link 0 |
|
The homeless situation is a diddly of a pickle as they say. I knew a lot of them during the 80s/90s and a very substantial amount were there through gambling/drink/drugs, so some may say they only have themselves to blame. Unfortunately I found this to be true in a lot of cases. realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8592 - 08/12/2017 22:19:55 2064711 Link 2 |
|
Whatever about the ballubas origins I was using it in the context it is understood in these parts to refer to someone of a somewhat wild or stupid disposition. To ask how many of them are irish considering where the individual appears based is enough to warrant the term in that context. Homelessness is horrible situation to be in whatever your nationality Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 09/12/2017 08:03:23 2064725 Link 0 |
|
Present crisis goes way beyond drugs and addiction. We have a situation where we have an unemployment rate of 6.1%. To all intents and purposes, that is full employment. Every week we are hearing of new job announcements...200 here, 300 there etc. Obviously if those jobs are going to be filled they can only be filled by "importing" the workforce (enticing emigrants back or enticing non Irish people to come and work here). Mostly it is the non Irish that are coming here to fill those jobs. When they come here they need a place to live. The rental market in the main cities is already at full capacity. This extra demand pushes up the price of rent. This makes rent unaffordable for individuals and families on low income ,many of whom are working in low paid jobs and also those who for whatever reason are in receipt of social welfare (e.g. single parent families, people with disabilities etc). When those new jobs are being brought to cities where accommodation is already unavailable it pushes homelessness to the crisis level. There are 2 choices in terms of tackling the homelessness crisis. One is to build more houses where they are needed in the cities while at the same time engaging in BALANCED regional development ( bringing the new jobs to smaller towns where affordability is increased). Every Irish government we've ever had pays lip service to this idea of balanced regional developed but unless they actually begin to implement this policy and stop bringing the jobs to the big cities where there is no affordability, this homelessness crisis will continue. The second choice is to stop trying to attract jobs to the country to the extent that we do UNTIL we actually have the houses built and the services in place to accommodate all those workers who will come from abroad to fill those jobs. For various reasons , both political and economic, this option is a non runner. GAA players can do a sleep out on homelessness til the cows come home, but it will achieve absolutely nothing until the structural issues that are driving our homelessness crisis are tackled first. PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1903 - 09/12/2017 12:15:17 2064736 Link 0 |
|
Yeh I'd love to see those things being tackled, but its not a huge concern for our 'overlords' and I'm not sure our pussy government is capable of acting on its own anymore. realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8592 - 10/12/2017 01:49:04 2064758 Link 1 |