Student-youth groups in Ireland have condemned the housing crisis in the country as they are about to return to their colleges and universities this September for the new academic year. On Wednesday, August 16, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), along with housing support groups including Threshold, launched a ‘Scam Watch’ campaign against the exploitation of students by landlords and rent sharks. The USI also demanded legislation to control rents and provide affordable housing for students.
Political parties like Sinn Fein accuse the coalition government under Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, and the Greens of totally failing the student renters and abandoning them in the grip of the housing crisis.
Over the past few years, Ireland has seen an acute housing crisis marked by high rents and a severe shortage in social housing facilities. The ongoing cost of living crisis, catalyzed by the war in Ukraine and profiteering by multinationals, has worsened the housing crisis as low income households are finding it extremely difficult to pay the high rents. Working class sections including the Communist Party of Ireland (CPI), the Connolly Youth Movement (CYM), trade unions, housing rights groups, and others have launched the ‘raise the roof’ campaign and organized multiple protests in Irish cities demanding affordable and dignified housing.
According to a recent study conducted by the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS), about half the students surveyed were sharing a room with three or more people, while one in 10 students was compelled to share a space with six other students. In the study, it was also found that 14% of the students faced some sort of scam activity when looking for accommodation, and 66% admitted to the crisis impacting their mental health.
On August 17, Sinn Fein stated that 68% of young Irish adults are now stuck living with their parents. The incumbent government’s abysmal failure to deliver affordable and social homes or tackle spiraling rents means more and more people are putting their lives on hold, the party said.
In other parts of Europe too, rents are soaring and working class and housing rights groups are campaigning for effective government measures to tackle the housing crisis. For example, student-youth groups in the Netherlands are actively mobilizing across the country as part of various housing rights coalitions demanding more hostels and affordable rental spaces.
