Crosscare, the social support agency of the Archdiocese of Dublin, today gave its support to the development of short-term modular housing which is being proposed by the Dublin Local Authorities, as an interim solution to the lack of social housing in the greater Dublin area.
Crosscare Director, Conor Hickey said, “This is a real emergency situation. Continuing to put families into hotel accommodation, or worse, leaving them to fend for themselves is just not acceptable. The modular housing being proposed is of a good standard and as a short-term measure we welcome it as an alternative to hotel accommodation”.
Mr. Hickey cautioned that “We must take great care to ensure that this is only an emergency response while we wait for proper social housing to come on stream. It is a frightening prospect that families may be left for years in this type of provision.” He said there needs to be a clear exit strategy from modular housing and the use of hotels for families. “There must be a plan to ensure that the state’s investment in these type of units can be transferred to alternative uses, for example, student accommodation, which would continue to ease pressure on the housing market. Families must not be left indefinitely in this type of provision.” ENDS
