Members of many local organisations were among the over 6,000 people who joined an all-island housing demonstration in Dublin City centre on Saturday organised by the Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) calling for public housing, rent cuts, and an end to homelessness and exploitation of tenants.

Over 80 organisations and community groups supported the demonstration, among them in the CATU Louth bloc were Drogheda 4 All, IPSC, Ardee Welcomes, Autism Louth, Dundalk Communities United, and Louth For Palestine. Members and representatives of Trade Unions SIPTU and Fórsa as well as political parties People Before Profit and Sinn Féin also joined the march.

 “This marks the first time that all branches have marched together in a demonstration of this scale” said Rachel Quigley of CATU Louth. “This was the culmination of many hours of organising across the whole island and represents a new departure in Ireland’s long struggle for housing justice.”

“Our members travelled from across all four provinces to march.  We sent a clear message that Ireland’s only tenants and community union is here to stay.  We now return home to Louth to continue the work of building community resistance to a system which prioritises greed over the basic human right to shelter.  CATU demands public housing, cuts to rent, and housing policy that puts the needs of the people over landlords’ profits."

The protest heard from a range of CATU and affiliated speakers who highlighted the multiple ways the housing crisis is playing out across the island and the impact that the Government’s market–driven approach to housing has had. Crowds heard from Ber Whelan, a tenant in Cromcastle Court waiting decades for essential maintenance.

Evelyn Ndidi Nwoko a CATU member living in direct provision being evicted into homelessness because they cannot find anywhere to rent in the communities where they have settled, a struggle which CATU Louth members in emergency and IPAS accommodation have faced.

Nora Corcoran spoke about the discrimination faced by Travellers across the island and the failure of local authorities to build Traveller appropriate accommodation that has led to Travellers being heavily over-represented in the homeless figures.

Nell Buckley a CATU member in Galway spoke about the profound impacts that unregulated short term lets are having in their city, with rents rocketing by 70% as homes are drained from the local housing stock through the proliferation of airbnb.

Disability rights campaigner Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird talked about how the housing crisis is robbing independence from adults living with a disability who are unable to find anywhere adapted for wheelchair users.

Vicky Kelly from Education Equality spoke about the impact of the housing crisis on children and children with special needs, and the urgent need for more community based supports for families.

CATU spokesperson Conal Matthews, a member of CATU Belfast commented: “There’s tens of thousands of derelict properties North and South that could be brought into public ownership and used. The simple thing is that we have a profit-driven housing model and it does not meet the needs of the people.

“That’s why we marched in our thousands - our housing system must change and we’re fed up waiting for it, CATU is organising tenants and communities to win the changes we need.” As a branch from a border region, with close relationships with branches in the north of Ireland, CATU Louth recognises the need for an all-island housing movement.

Mair Kelly, CATU spokesperson and member in CATU Cork stated: “The Taoiseach tells us we’re a rich country yet at the same time the Minister for Housing threw his hands up this week and admitted there are about to be over 5,000 children in emergency accommodation. The thousands of people who marched on Saturday marched because they know things can be different.”

“People are sick of the Government’s scapegoating, sick of excuses, sick of them writing housing policy that just enriches massive landlords. Public housing, and a focus on public-led solutions is what will end the housing crisis and give us the future we and everyone in our communities deserve.”