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THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE figure available at the moment tells us that there are almost 200,000 empty homes across the country. This compares with 7,148 experiencing homelessness, a figure made up of individuals, couples and families with children.
To house every single person in homelessness today, we would need in the region of 4,500 to 5,000 homes.
Peter McVerry Trust believes that the Government has the ability to house every person who is homeless in Ireland today within the next 12 months. To achieve this the Government needs to create a high intensity response to the thousands of empty homes spread across our cities, towns and villages.
Vacant homes
The number of vacant homes, based on the CSO’s figures, is simply staggering particularly when you break it down by local authority and compare the number of empty homes with the number of adults in homelessness. Such a comparison shows that, in some counties, there are hundreds of empty homes per one adult experiencing homelessness.
In Mayo, there are over 11,000 empty properties, which means 930 empty homes for each of the 12 homeless adults in the county. In Roscommon, it’s even higher at 940 empty homes for every adult who is homeless.
Making these homes liveable
Even in our cities, where the vast majority of people in homelessness are found, there are almost 50,000 empty homes. In Dublin, the epicentre of the homeless emergency, there are 13 empty homes for every adult in homelessness. In Cork, the ratio shows 85 empty homes for each adult who is homeless in the city and county.
The challenge, of course, is turning these empty buildings into quality, liveable homes within the next 12 months. Peter McVerry Trust knows, from our own direct experiences of turning empty buildings across Dublin into homes for people exiting homelessness, this can be done quickly and cheaply.
Peter McVerry Trust believes there are 5 key actions that the Government must now introduce to allow empty homes to end homelessness.
Ring-fence empty homes for people in homelessness
Peter McVerry Trust believes that empty homes can offer solutions right across the housing spectre creating more rental properties and more homes to buy. On the housing needs of people in homelessness each local authority should be required to ring-fence 50% of all empty homes brought back into use for people in homelessness today until all of them are housed.
In the vast majority of counties, returning 200 homes and allocating 50% of them to people who are homeless will reduce homelessness to zero in that county.
A constant supply of empty homes coming back into the system together with Part V, HAP, and new build programmes by housing associations would mean we could rapidly re-house new cases of homelessness. This would eliminate the need for long term shelter placements.
Building regulations
Unfortunately, existing building regulations can make the renovation or upgrading of older empty properties unnecessarily expensive and time consuming. Over the shop accommodation, in particular, is hamstrung by costly and cumbersome building control processes.
The Government has been advised that it does not need to bring in new legislation. The Minister could simply use existing powers to improve the system making it cheaper, quicker and operating with a common sense approach to getting empty homes back into use.
Empty homes officers
There needs to be boots on the ground and local authorities also need the resources to hire these teams of Empty Homes Officers. These officers would get out there to identify empty homes, engage with the property owners and make them aware of Government grant schemes like the repair and leasing initiative.
Empty Homes Officers would also serve as a one stop shop for information and advice for empty home owners.
Matchmaker scheme
A matchmaker scheme is important because it would match empty home owners with organisations that want to lease or buy these properties.
The matchmaker scheme, coordinated by Empty Homes Officers, would match social housing associations and homeless charities with property owners in order to rent or purchase their properties. This scheme would need Government funding and fast track approval processes to do this and to get the buildings back into use as quickly as possible.
Vacant property tax
The final critical element is a vacant property tax that would be applied to houses not used as a person’s main home. Peter McVerry Trust believes that any property empty for more than 1 year should be subject to an additional tax or levy that would increase each year the property lies empty up until year 5 then a compulsory purchase order would be issued.
It is clear that empty homes, if targeted properly, carry the single best opportunity to end homelessness in Ireland. We know what the problems are and we also know what the solutions are. Now we must move quickly with decisive action. If we do that, we can effectively end homelessness by March 2018.
Pat Doyle is CEO of Peter McVerry Trust. Peter McVerry Trust is hosting an Empty Homes Conference on March 9th in Croke Park Conference Centre. For further details see www.pmvtrust.ie/emptyhomes.
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What a fast 3 years. It’s hard to believe nobody was caught for this.
Yet …
Because they are been protected!
Protecting their own is what “good Republicans” do.
These skum were no republicans, in fact if there hadn’t been a ceasfire these filth would have left the country or be buried long before they murdered this garda given there long list of crimes which were going unpunished.
Don’t worry Gerry, despite half a dozen police forces around the world looking into this Dermot and MK76 are now on the case and we can expect developments within hours. After all they seem to have inside knowledge that nobody else does despite consistently proving themselves idiots when it comes to even telling which group is which I’m sure this time they’re on the ball…
Rasputin you’re an unadulterated fool.
I seem to recall Commissioner Callinan telling us that he KNEW who they were and “they should be looking over their shoulders” What happened ?
He was told to resign
Peter the usual happened. Witness intimidation, can’t convict anyone if no one will speak up.
True
They are waiting till after the election, no point proving that this had no connection to sinn fein before the election. The government have no problem make the friends and family of this man suffer to try and secure there feet under the table for another five years.
Maybe I’m wrong but would it not be in their best interest to connect SF with this before an election? In fact maybe this is what they could be holding back. Apart from the odd snipe they have been holding back on the SF bashing recently and before an election you would think they’re holding a kicker in reserve.
The dogs on the streets know who done it , an absolute vile animal , ya know if Mi6 made him disappear , no one would care
Probably on the MI6 payroll
Ah so it wasn’t a botched robbery attempt this fine garda came upon , love the republican Sinn Fein logic , twisted and illogical
It wasn’t a botched robbery? I think you’ll find it was.
Was it not good republicans?
Without a doubt a “good republican” did it. Sure weren’t they only weeding out the dissidents – that is anyone who doesn’t buy into their narrative of betraying Bobby Sands for the Queen’s shilling in Stormont.
” without a doubt”. Only thing clear with your post is that you are without a doubt an amadan.
Are these the RNU type dissidents who did it or what? A lot of crap on this thread, have the gardai even arrested anyone, maybe the know it all’s on here can tell them or let us know who did it? Otherwise stop your lying political muck using this man’s murder to peddle your lies!
The fact this murder and that of Paul Quinn and others in that general area remains unsolved says one thing very clearly and that is that something is very wrong somewhere in the system that needs to be addressed,the fact that two police forces are unable to nail these killers is simply astonishing it just cannot be put down to the usual ack of resources argument,
It’s called intimidation.
No leo in fact they were neither good nor republican.
Leo Lowe, wasn’t it only yesterday you were telling us all how republicans were involved in the Jennifer Guinness kidnapping?? And expert it seems…. Would you like to tell us all which particular group were involved here because most people agree it was dissidents and where could we quickly locate one of those I wonder…
Republican sympathiser scu-mbags on a frenzy on this comment section, easy up skan-ers, don’t worry sure HE was never in the IRA you know.
The police know exactly who did it.
Well apparently they know exactly who did it and they’re under surveillance in US and Australia. I’d imagine the fresh appeals are for new evidence rather than who did it.
Whats worse is the gang only got off with 4,000 euro in the end
Yeah, would have been much better had they got off with 400,000 euro, would have been some consolation for the late garda’s family.
My point was they were willing to kill a Garda for the sake of 4000 euro. Divided between the 5 of them, it probably cost them as much to flee the country
The armed guards are not there to protect the cash they are there to protect the public. Serial numbers on stolen notes can be recorded from banks, more money can be printed, insurance cashed out. They are protecting the public on those runs.
Sorry but you’re wrong there. Yeah they’re there to protect the staff who carry the money, but they’re mainly there to stop tens of thousands of euro getting into the hands of criminal gangs.
I feel so sorry for the late Garda Donohoe’s wife who is also a member of the Gardaí.
I can’t understand why it’s taking so long to apprehend those responsible. I remember reading over this past few years that the Gardaí knew exactly who they were looking for. Also one of the perpetrators had fled to the US and there was talk of him being deported. So unsatisfactory and sad.
I think they know quite well who did it. It’s a matter of building a case and everybody who can should help..
We all remember Garda Gerry McCabe who was MURDERED, but late night knocks on doors around Adare generated many cases of amnesia. Same “desease” probably probably works farther up the country as there are a few hight profile cases up there, where “no one (wisely!) saw nothing”
It’s actually disgusting that the lead apologist for the kind of moron that murdered Garda Donohoe will top the poll in Louth.
Well he openly supported Pearse McCauley after the murder of Det McCabe so it seems to be par for the course for Mr Adams.
Adams offers to act as go-between for anyone with info on Adrian Donohoe shooting http://jrnl.ie/1902140
Yeah like anyone would trust him.
They could not even get their lies consistent on McCabe. First they were doing it on their own not with the orders of the local ”CO”, for their own personal financial benefit not for ”the army”. Then suddenly “oh no wait…we…er..lied there when we said that (I guess) they were engaged in a ”military operation” so they are POW’s please release them.
They should never have been let out, and if they were the pardon should have been conditional, ankle bracelets with location beacon recording their every move and every word, restrict them from drinking etc make so their lives have no enjoyment, they don’t deserve it. TBH I’d even go as far as a special referendum to allow the justice minister to sign an arrest and internment warrant for people in cases where they are suspected of killing a cop.
Andrew Corcoran, are you a republican apologist or just a gobsh-te,
They must be a fairly tight group to say nobody’s been caught 3 years on from the murder.
Wall of.silence.from “good Republican’
It seems incredible in 2013 such an execution of a member of the Irish security forces could happen and even more incredible that no arrests have being made. Should banks and credit unions not pay for private security companies to escort their cash and allow state resources concentrate on protecting the state. Has a reward being offered by the credit union for information and are they helping to pay for the investigation to date. Maybe a shakeup in the team investigating this heinous crime would bring different results? To think people like this are still at large and being protected by others just as guilty of pulling the trigger. At what point do we just except that the criminals are winning and declare that we can’t even protect our own security forces.
yes there is a reward. why should a private security put their life on the line as opposed to a gardai would you arm private security companies.
There may be a reward, but it would have to be worth getting your legs smashed by “Good Republicans”
Dont just red thumb this comment .. Post a reply and let us know who you are!
This will be a Jamming free thread for a change.
Horrible that blueshirts are using the death of a garda by criminals with no links to sinnfein to try and win votes, they really are despicable.
Thanks to the Journal for taking off you comment where you try to justify the killing of Garda Gerry McCabe. I hope the electorate can see that voting for IRA/SF is voting for your type!
How many decent irish men who joined the RIC were gunned down by filth like Michael Collins. These RIC men had wifes and children to feed and were only doing their job protecting citizens and keeping law and order. Michael Collins was responsible for the murder of these irish citizens and their children being left to starve. Hardly surprising that this piece of filth then agreed to let nearly half the population of the six counties to fester under british oppression.
You have a thing for filth don’t you Gerry, you are nothing but a pathetic, bitter, sad and insignificant excuse for a human being.
Amazing that we’ve heard nothing from Comical Eddie and Jammin on this.
Wow.
Anyone who knows anything at all needs to disclose what they know to An Garda Siochana and to cooperate in bringing these evil murderers to justice. There is no conceivable justification for what happened.
Fiona – I have no doubt that the organisation you support know who did it and could point the finger. People should not vote for the party that supports and protects garda killers.
Powerabby, apparently a lot of people know who did it. Jim Cusack writing in the Irish Independent knows who did it. the Gardai and the PSNI know who did it so why is it that you focus in on a particular party? Could it be that you and the rest of your cohorts love nothing more than using the pain and suffering of victims and their families to score political points?
Brian – absolutely not. When you members welcome a garda killer out of prison then you know clearly what they think of victims and their families.
I’m incensed that you should describe Garda Gerry McCabe in a disparaging way. This man was killed in cold blood by the IRA while performing his duty. IRA/SF will try to take away the character of anyone who will damage their wish to gain in the elections. Hopefully the electorate are more educated that to be fooled by this.
Gerry O’Donell you are a disgrace.
Fine Gael had 100s of gardai protecting water meter installers. Denis O’Brien’s business interests outway the cold blooded murder of a police officer.
Many “good” Republicans know who did it, however as usual stay silent
So true Brian they care nothing about these people or their families. If the truth be told it looks like they are from the same belief mind set as the labour senator.
have your say