Mayo councillors slams "broken housing system"
Independent councillor Harry Barrett has taken aim at what he describes as a "failed housing system" in the county that is leaving many on the brink of becoming homeless.
The Castlebar MD representative said: "6 months ago, Klaudia Barrett and her family informed Mayo County Council that they had an eviction notice. Nothing has happened since and she and her young family will soon present to Mayo county council as homeless.
She says there is nowhere left for them to go due to the lack of rental properties locally at a price that they can afford. Her case highlights again the complete failure of this government to provide for working families." This is according to Cllr. Harry Barrett
Barrett continued. "We have to face the fact that this government is clueless and indifferent to families affected by high rents and the homelessness crisis, as all the data points in that direction.
"And the big losers here are young working couples who do not qualify for any help. Government has engineered a situation where Mayo county council is actually competing with young couples, snapping up properties as social homes using HAP, RAS and the Tenant in Situ Scheme.
These schemes are taking rental properties of the market for working people.
"We then have Airbnb snapping up even more, which leaves virtually nothing left for young working families in this county."
"What's left of private rental around the county is renting for extortionate prices. The social contract is completely broken for working families, he continued.
"Working hard should get you places, but unfortunately this goverment does not care about young working families. We now have a new class of "working poor" in this county brought on by a heedless government.
"Klaudia Barrett's case featured on the RTE Radio 1, on Saturday and her story would bring a tear to your eye. She says she actually has to present to Mayo county council to prove her "level of homelessness."
This will allow her to get some emergency accommodation. This is an absolute disgrace and needs and answer from Mayo county council.
"I would like to ask government representatives whether they can stand over this appalling system.
"Can they stand over supporting the landlords in the recent rental changes allowing them rent increases and again supporting the builders, allowing them to make apartments smaller, or again diluting the regulations surrounding Airbnb so that more towns are taken out of the regulation process.
Meanwhile they allow young working families like Klaudia Barrett's, to drift into homelessness because they can't find a home to rent or afford what's left.
"The answer is, yes they can.
This government is dragging its heels on giving Mayo county council and all local authorities the funding and power they need to build homes directly."
He added: "They refuse to see that the money they are spending on private rental accommodation and homeless services would go along way towards building the social and affordable homes we need in this county and providing work families, like Klaudia Barrett's, a chance to rent a property at a price they can afford in Mayo.
Barrett believes only votes at the ballot box will help to improve a "broken system," he claims: "The only way this process will change is when we change this government."
I want a situation where working hard allows you to have the dignity of having a property that you can afford to rent so that you'll have money left over at the end of the month to enjoy your life.
"That is what the social contract looks like and this government has completely destroyed it", he concluded.