✍🏼… this criminal fraud investigation by An Garda Síochána can help unravel the “fraudulent misrepresentation” by the Vulture Funds

Many of you will know my parents Thomas and Maura Walsh, they have lived at 31 Friar Street for the past 52 years, they take pride in their house and maintain it to a good standard. They have worked hard, pay their taxes including their property tax. They are adjoined to 30 Friar Street, once a historical building now vacant and left to ruin. Living next to a derelict building has a very negative impact if you are attached. 30 Friar Street has no roof therefore the weather is causing the interior of the building to collapse causing damp and infestation of rodents especially in the winter months. Going to bed every night not knowing if the wall your bed is against may collapse is very stressful for my parents. This is compounded by the concerns over the potential danger to pedestrians if the beam collapses and falls through one of the front windows onto Friar Street. My father has asked the town hall councillors for help over this matter for over three years. As there has been no action to remedy any of the safety concerns he has asked me to help. Since January 2023 we have contacted the Councillors at Youghal town hall, the Garda station, requested freedom of information (FOI), Ombudsman, Director of service, East Cork Municipal District officer, CEO Cork County Council. Ireland have a Derelict site act and a Local government (Sanitary Services) Act 1964 that can be served on behalf of the Town council to ensure the safety of buildings to prevent public liability. A notice was served to the owner of 30 Friar Street in September 2022 with 8 weeks to respond. The owners of the property did not respond to the request. My parents were told that under Tort law it is their responsibility for the upkeep of their property and to go after the owners themselves if the property is causing a nuisance! However the Director of Service has promised some remedial work but this has not happened. We have 25 vacant properties in Youghal and about 9 could be defined as derelict. Without the support of the Town Hall to use the law to protect this town and its residents these buildings are going to become liabilities for all and health and safety hazards for those in close proximity. As we have failed to progress this matter using all avenues available to us, resulting in no signs of a resolution or progress in any form, could we please ask for your help and support? 30 Friar Street is at risk of further deterioration and potential collapse in the coming months. The facade of the building is listed due to its historic interest. There are likely many other buildings across our town with similar fates. If you think that Cork County Council should prioritise the plight of derelict buildings, could you please sign this petition as putting pressure on this issue may support my parents and the health and safety risks they inevitability face as the building continues to deteriorate.

Roscommon is suffering from a chronic shortage of liveable homes, with virtually no new housing estates being developed. Our county is now officially the worst place in Ireland for new builds, according to the Irish Independent. To add insult to injury, there are more than 4,000 vacant homes in Roscommon. We call on Roscommon County Council to take action on vacancy and dereliction, to build more public homes, and to do more to encourage developers to build affordable homes in our county.

The accommodation Trinity so graciously provides its students is overpriced and dingy, with terrible WiFi, frequently malfunctioning utilities and an almost non-existent maintenance system. On top of the conditions in these flats, we as residents are subjected to arbitrary limitations on our autonomy and personal lives such as the overnight guests policy. The policy of not letting students sign in guests after 11pm at Halls, and 12am on campus disproportionately limits the rights and autonomy of student residents. It is a paternalistic, dangerous and hypocritical policy. Firstly, it is paternalistic because it does not treat students as adults capable of making their own choices. Secondly, it is dangerous because someone might need to sleep at a resident’s place, such as in cases where they miss their public transport and cannot get home. Rejecting them from a safe place to sleep is unacceptable. It makes no sense in terms of controlling numbers because overnight guests can simply come on campus before midnight - as such, in any case, this policy is ineffective and only serves to put us in danger. Thirdly, it is hypocritical because the same policy does not apply to staff living on campus, such as lecturers or Fellows. The issue has been raised to the TCDSU by multiple student residents over a number of years, and as such we immediately call on College to change the policy to allow student residents to sign in guests any time. Finally, students should be allowed on-campus any time to access the 24/7 library, society rooms and to leave to get food and return when studying overnight in these places. College claims that they are doing this for our 'security' and our 'ability to study' and to not be 'disturbed'. They claim that they are doing this for our benefit. Yet, this is just a paternalistic control mechanism that College applies to us in order to limit our autonomy and indoctrinate us into following authority, forming part of a larger trend to make education a factory process to mould us into the ideal future workers. We, the undersigned, categorically state that we do not want the overnight guests policy, that we are well able to deal with overnight guests coming into our flats and that we reject the paternalistic embrace of College.

Cairn Homes are currently building 730 residential units in Belmayne. They have now applied to reduce the amount of amenity space in the development by almost 90%. There is already a huge lack of social infrastructure and amenities for the existing population which has been highlighted by a report done by The Northside Partnership, 'Forgotten Communities, Clongriffin and Belmayne, Needs Assessment'. Clongriffin and Belmayne have had a population growth of 68% that's 8,000 people since 2016, with no social infrastructure or amenities to support this. It is imperative that any allocated amenity space is kept for that purpose. If original amenities are deemed not suitable for the development, alternative amenities need to be considered that can be utilised by the whole community. Enough is enough! This should not be allowed to continue, we need to stand up against it and protect our communities! I know a lot of people wouldn't have €20 to spare, especially this time of the year with children going back to school, to submit an observation against this. That is why I have set up this petition, so that people can show their support and have their say. I will submit it with my observation, hopefully it might hold more weight.

Join this campaign to emphasise a logical solution to the housing crisis.

CATU Ireland is a union for communities and tenants. That means renters, council tenants, mortgage holders, and people in emergency and precarious living situations. The current housing crisis is a result of government policy designed to benefit speculators, landlords and vulture funds. But housing doesn't have to be in crisis. Public housing is the solution. 3,917 households are on the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County housing list, yet the council built only 18 houses in 2023. These figures also hide households who make more than the income limit of €40,000, but who can't afford to rent in DLR where the average rent is now €2,331 per month. The result is that working class families are pushed out of the county. It doesn't have to be this way. Universal public housing will bring about reduced rents and property prices and force corporate investors out, with many properties becoming vacant and available to be added to our stock. Publicly owned housing will further allow tenants to have more control over their communities through local democracy, rather than an unaccountable profit-driven private sector. It will also mean more sustainable communities, as people will not be evicted at the whim of a landlord seeking to make a greater profit. It's time to end the landlords' grip and tip the balance of power back to renters. Housing is a human right, not a commodity to be bought and sold to the highest bidder.

An equal society is a better society for everyone.

The decision to demolish these homes was made by a narrow majority of only one vote, without any community consultation. We believe that this decision is short-sighted and goes against the interests of the people of Ennis. The ongoing housing crisis in Clare makes the demolition of any sound properties unacceptable. Recent figures have shown that families in all parts of Clare are being evicted into homelessness, and there is a severe shortage of emergency accommodation available. These six cottages could be homes for people in desperate straits. We also note that this decision is at odds with the Housing for All strategy, which aims to deliver high-quality, affordable housing and end homelessness in Ireland. The proposed demolition of these cottages to make way for a temporary car park is not in line with this strategy. The current dispute over the demolition of the Francis Street cottages and the subsequent construction of a temporary car park shows remarkable parallels with a previous controversy that shook the town only a few years ago, involving the Ennis Market Building, which carried a staggering price tag of €1.75m. However, as the project has dragged on, it has become increasingly clear that the promises made by its advocates including former Mayor Ann Norton, were far from reality. There are several striking similarities between the market building scandal and the proposed development on Francis Street. One of the most obvious is the involvement of some of the same councillors who were implicated in the market building debacle. There is a need for greater accountability and transparency in local government decision-making. Residents and community groups must be given a voice in these important decisions that will shape the future of our town, and elected officials must be held accountable for their actions and decisions. We urge the Ennis Municipal District Council to halt the demolition of the cottages on Francis Street and to consider the long-term impact of this decision on Ennis' cultural heritage and the ongoing housing crisis. The proposed cost of upwards of one million euro to build a temporary car park could be much better spent on renovating these cottages for use as affordable/public housing for local families. Furthermore, we are deeply concerned about the authority given to the Ennis 2040 DAC and the possible privatisation of publicly owned assets. It is essential that the town's assets and resources are managed in the interests of the community, not for short-term financial gain. We, therefore, call on the Ennis Municipal District Council to provide affordable/public housing for the people of Clare by renovating these cottages on Francis Street. We demand transparency and community involvement in decision-making processes and call on the council to prioritise the needs and interests of the people of Clare. We also call on concerned residents and the wider county to contact the following Councillors who voted in favour of the demolition, and to express their opposition to this decision: Contact: Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy: [email protected] Councillor Paul Murphy: [email protected] Councillor Mary Howard: [email protected] Councillor Ann Norton: [email protected] Together, we can make our voices heard and ensure that Ennis' heritage and homes are protected for future generations, and that affordable/public housing is prioritized in our town's development. Sincerely, Save Francis Street Alliance

We have come together to draw attention to a 28.87 acre site being sold in Carlow. Gateway & Adjoining Lands, Strawhall, Athy Road, Carlow Town, Co. Carlow is for sale by Greencore Group plc. Advertised as “Tremendous potential for further development” There is zero mentioning of any mature trees nor woodland within the advertisement; lot 6 has a well established woodland (Link below for sale details) We are calling on you to help us protect these trees from potential destruction. We want these woodland back as a public amenity. . We want to protect the wildlife under the Wildlife Act 1976 that call this place home already. Trees are vital to preserve and hugely important to biodiversity in the ongoing climate change. And as we have seen before, trees and woodlands removed overnight; we have come together to prevent this from happening. We need our trees! Though this is not solely about the trees and wildlife this is about the community coming together seeing the potential these lands already have for the community. For our future community. Protecting and enhancing our environment for future generations. And only a brisk walk away from our town centre. What we need? We need time. To buy time we need support. We need you to join us, sign our petitions, and share our social posts. Write your support to newspapers. Contact the local representatives. Contact the Carlow County Council. Spread the word for the love of our trees we are coming together! Already a large community has come together in Carlow and further nationwide to bring these woodlands into the public domain. We hope you will share some support and hopefully some day you will get to come visit 😉 Contact us [email protected] (Link to sale details below in "campaign website")

Many people are now homeless. Some are literally appealing to peoples' kindness to let them stay with them because they have nowhere to go after a landlord ends their tenancy. Available rental housing is at an all time low, and the need for it is extremely high. Local authority housing is like gold dust. Mostly landlords are either selling their property or they're turning to the Air BnB model to earn more money. This situation is hiking up the cost of renting a home, and buying an existing house is often far out of reach. This situation is exacerbated by planning restrictions in rural areas. Many people would take care of their own housing needs by buying a small plot of rural land if they could get planning for a low-cost dwelling that is fitting in its surroundings. There is ample land lying idle in West Cork, whilst rural communities are dwindling and people hopes for the safety of a home are dying. This is an easily solvable situation, if the people with the power would only do the right thing. It's up to us to help them make the correct decisions.

The Government has decided to lift the eviction ban that is in place until the end of March. A mother who is renting contacted us yesterday, stunned by the ending of the eviction ban. “I can’t stop crying,” she said. It puts her and her disabled son at serious risk of homelessness. Up and down the country, renters are in a state of panic, fear and anxiety about where they are going to go when the notice-to-quit deadline is reached. Thousands of renters are going to be evicted into a rental market with very little property available, and none that is affordable. Homelessness services will be swamped. There isn’t even emergency accommodation available. Families and children, individuals, will be evicted into homelessness. These are our neighbors, friends, relatives. These renters have done nothing wrong, paid their rent, this is unfair and unjust. These are tenants homes, in communities, where they work, where their children go to school. This is a shameful decision that has put the property investment interests of landlords, including vulture fund landlords, ahead of the most basic need of a home for renters. We need to understand the scale of human misery that will result from this decision. In 2022, a phenomenal 2,734 families and their children (in the region of 5,000 children) were made homeless in Ireland. Most were evicted because the landlord was selling up. The Residential Tenancies Board was notified of 4,643 eviction notices served by landlords from 2021 to 2022. If the eviction ban is not extended there will be a tsunami of evictions and homelessness unlike anything we have seen in this country. The government need to feel the pressure from you – the public – to demand that they don’t bend to the property landlord lobby. The eviction ban doesn’t stop landlords leaving the market – they can sell up and leave the tenant in place. Local authorities and housing associations have funding now to buy up such property. Sign the petition calling on the government to reverse its decision to lift the eviction ban and to extend the eviction ban for another year. Help keep tenants in their homes, keep families and children and individuals safe, and in their home, in their community. Read: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2023/03/08/ending-eviction-ban-we-need-to-understand-scale-of-human-misery-that-will-follow-this-decision/ Listen to Rory Hearne's Reboot Republic Podcast episode on why we need the eviction ban extended: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6KwDUelzbbyDUl9FKK8Ocl?si=BHMpiKIOR8abTpLrZPi1SA Threshold report on evictions https://threshold.ie/evictions-remain-largest-issue-facing-private-renters-as-threshold-prevents-over-1000-households-from-becoming-homeless-in-q3-2022/