CLM’s Submission to the Department of Housing on the review of the Statement of Strategy 2024-2025
In August 2024, Community Law & Mediation (CLM) submitted recommendations to the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage for its 2024-2025 Strategy, emphasising the urgent housing and homelessness crises.
In the submission, we highlighted severe issues such as inadequate emergency accommodation, long social housing wait times, and risks of homelessness, affecting 40% of individuals seeking legal advice.
We advocated for social housing reform, clearer eligibility criteria, and more accessible housing for marginalised groups, including non-nationals, care leavers, and Travellers.
CLM also supports a constitutional right to housing and calls for an overhaul of policies that discriminate against vulnerable populations, as well as improvements in housing quality and energy efficiency.
Introduction
CLM welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (the Department) on its Statement of Strategy 2024-2025.
Housing and homelessness-related queries constitute a high proportion of the queries we receive in our community law centres, and many of these are of an acute and urgent nature. We frequently advocate on behalf of individuals and families who have been refused access to emergency accommodation.
We also assist people who are living without heating or running water and with poor sanitation – a breach of their basic human rights. Many of our clients are on waiting lists, some as long as 15 years, to access adequate social housing. In the interim and due to a shortage of suitable private rental homes, they have no option but to stay in emergency accommodation.
On average, four in ten of the individuals we meet at our legal advice clinics are at risk of becoming homeless. These issues persist year-on-year.
In this submission we make a series of recommendations in relation to Strategic Goal A of the Department’s Statement of Strategy 2021-2025: To provide a framework that ensures a sustainable housing system in Ireland with a supply of good quality housing to match needs.