The Irish Assemblies of God are selling Carraig Eden, a centre for people recovering from addiction - and the asking price is over €2 million. But, here's the thing - the promised they would sell it to the group supporting the residents - Tiglin - at only a fraction of this price. By the time Tiglin raised the money - the Irish Assemblies of God had decided to go back on their word and sell the centre for a huge profit instead. But, once the groups had raised the money and made an offer the Irish Assemblies of God decided to sell it on the private market for over €2 million instead. Here's what the resident's have to say: We are a group of past and present residents of Carraig Eden, Greystones writing to you to highlight the situation with Carraig Eden. This building has housed men of all ages, on their last stages of rehabilitation and re-entry to society over the last 10 years. The Greystones community has enabled these men to have support, re-integrate into a safe community and become valued members of this and other town’s. Our residents have become part of this community, becoming involved in the daily life and business of their town. In the last two week’s we have received Eviction notices. We would like to highlight the course of events and ask for your support in this situation. Approximately two years ago Tiglin Challenge Rehabilitation Centre in Ashford Co. Wicklow entered into negotiations to buy with the current owners, (IAOG) Irish Assemblies of God, (now Christian Churches Ireland, CCI). Tiglin had to withdraw from the negotiations as the price was increased on a number of occasions and they could not secure the funding. Another Christian endeavour, the “Save Carrig Eden Fund” took over trying to secure funds but unfortunately failed. In the meanwhile, Tiglin was able to secure the funding status they sought through Wicklow County Council and re-entered negotiations in September 2016 with IAOG. The deal was done through Wicklow County Council. As in the case of these complex deals, Wicklow County Council were two week’s late in the drawdown of their funding and IAOG pulled out of the deal. Since this time, it has become apparent that IAOG were offered 3 million from a developer for Carrig Eden. This action is resulting in up to 30 vulnerable men losing their home, we feel ours and those coming after us, hard fought rehabilitation is in jeopardy. We have been taught that if we have a problem, we go to our brother; if our brother does not listen we bring another brother to talk and see if it can be worked out. This is what we are doing, we have formed into a group and wish for our voices to be heard, we are supported by our leaders, churches and many people in the community and we now ask for your support. We are asking IAOG/CCI to come back to the table and honour their agreement with Wicklow County Council and Tiglin. That Carrig Eden continues to equip and strengthen the current and future residents who rely on this housing and its environment. “Carrig Eden is more than a house, it is a home, it is a family that take care of each other and push their siblings to strive towards their potential” .. “Without Carrig Eden, I would have been back in the area where all my problems began. Carrig Eden helped me to develop the skills needed to live, like paying rent and being independent.” “I have come from a life of addiction and homelessness, God saved me, I am on a CE scheme and volunteer with homeless and those in addiction. Please don’t take this opportunity away from me”. “ I need the people in Carrig Eden to support me and bring me through the next stages of my recovery. My chances of a new life are being destroyed and my dreams to help others like me are being crushed”. “Going through my addiction recovery has been the hardest thing in my life, but the best because I am now free from my addiction. I need Carraig Eden for its support, I have nowhere to go”. “If I don’t have Carraig Eden, I don’t have a future” “I have been able to deflect all the temptations that came my way because of the environment of Carraig Eden. I am living with people here with the same goal’s as me “I have been homeless, couldn’t read or write, I am now in education and getting my life on track. I need Carraig Eden to keep going.

Bernie is giving a speech on June 4th which sold out after 1 minute. There are thousands of people who are willing to pay to hear him speak, to hear a voice for the people. Someone who stands up for the environment, all people and the planet as a whole. My hope is that hearing Bernie speak could spark the revolution that is needed in Ireland so we can transform our country and go back to the values it was founded on.

On behalf of the DCU Students' Union, which consists of nearly 17,000 students, we are troubled by the new updates from Campus Residences Ltd., for the upcoming 2017/18 academic year. These include; - A 9% rent increase for Hampstead Accommodation. - An 11% rent increase for SPC and Larkfield Accommodation. This is a 49% rent increase in two academic years. I know that Campus Residences Ltd., only recently took it over but an 11% increase comparable to the quality of Larkfield accommodation type is unbelievable when you take into account the quality of accommodation provided on both campuses. - An 8% rent increase in some areas of Purcell House Accommodation. - That some rooms on Postgraduate Accommodation will see a 23% rent increase. It's hard enough to find accommodation for our students and for the college to drastically increase the cost of rent for our students at a time when we're having an accommodation crisis in Dublin shows a lack of compassion for the daily student struggles. We're asking Governing Body to come down from their Ivory Tower and realise that their demands are unrealistic and unfair.

A Charter of Rights for Council Tenants 1. Councils should carry out regular inspections of their property and maintain a record of both complaints and inspections, as agreed with tenants. 2. The document ‘Repairs and Maintenance which are the responsibility of the Tenant’ dated 16 June 2009 must be withdrawn. There must be no retrospective consequences for any alterations. This document is biased against tenants. 3. Council tenants should have the same right to access to an Environmental Health Officer as private tenants have, with a responsible set response time. 4. All Dublin City Council property must be inspected for current ventilation standards. 5. On a short-term basis, tenants who suffer from damp conditions should be provided with a demand led conditioning machine that circulates air. All heating systems need to be up to EU standards. 6. Council tenants should have access to an independent complaints agency. This should be composed of representatives of tenants, the council and an agreed mediator. 7. The council should recognise tenant’s associations that are organised democratically and provide them with access to proper meeting facilities. 8. All council property to be inspected for fire standards, especially the installations of fire alarms. 9. Relocation of tenants in emergency situations should be short-term and should be housed in their local area while repairs are undertaken.

T.A.R.G.E.T is a vital community service that provides literacy skills, counselling, community employment, extensive training and affordable childcare to the local community in Donaghmede. But, we have just been told that they need to be out of their premises by June - leaving the future of the project - and all the people it supports - hanging in the balance. Can you sign the petition to ask Dublin City Council to make sure a suitable home for our project is found before the June deadline.

URGENT: A family are to be evicted from their home on Ferrycarrig halting site tomorrow Monday the 20th of March if we don't convince Wexford County Council to withdraw their complaint from An Gardaí. The family have small children and the council have failed to provide suitable alternative accommodation. But, if enough of us sign the petition and send it to Wexford County Council before tomorrow - we could make them change their mind and withdraw their complaint.

Families may no longer be evicted from homes were mortgage was negotiated away from the business premises or by doorstep selling situation i.e. Broker arranged or when the right to cancel was not given i.e. a seven day cooling off period. S.I. No. 224/1989 - European Communities (Cancellation of Contracts Negotiated Away From Business Premises) Regulations, 1989.

Currently there are over 5,000 people on the social housing waiting list, with only 14 houses coming on stream in next 2 years. The council are spending approx 871,599 Euro every 6 months in Galway to house families in hotels and B&B's which is unacceptable long term and is wasteful. Also the cost of 330,000 per social housing unit, which is being discussed in GCC this wk, is outrageous and unsustainable. Approx 50,000 people are in arrears of 2 yrs or more with their mortgage half of whom are at risk of repossession this year. Where will they go ? Too many people sleeping rough on our streets every night and a huge amount of people, incl students, couples, families, travelers and single people, failing to find suitable affordable accommodation in the private sector in Galway city. Something must be done NOW !

The HSE is selling off a substantial former hospital with 46 acres in Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford for a knockdown price -right in the middle of a housing crisis. It is unbelievable that one part of the public service is effectively giving away state property assets which could be used to assist in alleviating the housing emergency by donating it to the local authority / Dept of Environment for housing. The aim of this campaign is twofold: 1. Withdraw the property from sale with immediate effect 2. For the Dept of Environment to take control of the asset and to investigate the best use of the property for housing use. http://www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/hse-puts-st-senan-s-psychiatric-hospital-on-market-at-780-000-1.2930239

Myself and a number of other residents have been told that we will be evicted from our homes in the Strand apartments in Limerick because the vulture fund who bought our homes want to sell them on for a massive profit. Over 90,000 homes in Ireland are owned by Vulture Funds, which makes many of us vulnerable to evictions and homelessness. Can you stand with us in our fight to stay in our homes and for the right to safe, affordable and secure housing? We also call on Minister Coveney to amend the Residential Tenancies Act to abolish sale of a property as a ground for terminating a tenancy.

The collective known as Home Sweet Home (‘HSH’) has written to the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, and called on him to take urgent action to tackle the homelessness crisis in the State. He needs to direct NAMA to use its property portfolio to take immediate and effective action to assist the homeless. We are asking members of the public to support HSH’s initiative by signing up to the letter on-line. The government must take action now. In summary, the letter states: 1. The building known as Apollo House, in Dublin city centre, has been occupied by HSH as a last resort to provide safe and secure accommodation for people sleeping rough on the streets. 2. The receivers acting for NAMA obtained a court injunction to force all the occupants of Apollo House to vacate it by noon on 11th January 2017. 3. Whilst the receivers contend that there are enough adequate beds for rough sleepers in Dublin, Fr. Peter McVerry states otherwise on affidavit, and the most recent government statistics (released on 30th December 2016) confirm that homelessness is increasing. 4. Under section 14 of the NAMA Act, the Minister for Finance is empowered to direct NAMA to make properties under its control available “to contribute to the social and economic development of the State”.  Ireland has obligations under European and international law to provide social housing and to work towards the elimination of homelessness. 5. NAMA has ample housing stock currently under its control which can be made available, through various mechanisms, to individuals and families who are currently homeless or under threat of being made homeless. 6. NAMA is planning to build 20,000 homes in the next three years but only 10% of these will be made available for social housing despite the worst housing crisis in the history of the State. NAMA is focused on returning a profit to the exchequer at some point in the future as a priority above tacking the homelessness crisis. 7. The Minister for Finance must act now to compel NAMA to take immediate and effective steps to combat the homelessness crisis. Please support Home Sweet Home’s initiative to force the government to end homelessness in Ireland by signing this letter. You can read the full letter here: http://tinyurl.com/h7zdsvl

We live in different parts of Ireland, in communities both urban and rural, that experience the housing crisis in lots of different ways. By organising together in our own local communities we can help grow the swell of public support to homelessness once and for all. Our politicians all have to take responsibility for the housing crisis. We can pressure them to make this their top priority for 2017. They would like to Apollo House as a one off action and to wash their hands of any responsibility that led to the occupation. Together we can show them that Apollo house is a beacon for change and this struggle is from the bottom up.