Dublin - Event Notice
Thursday January 01 1970
No More Deaths on Our Streets Protest Rally
dublin |
housing |
event notice
Friday November 11, 2005 17:04
by Jon Glackin - Street Seen
streetseen at hotmail dot co dot uk
0868885779
The Homeless are Revolting! Join Them!
No More Deaths on Our Streets Protest Rally
Saturday 26 November 3pm
Assemble @ Garden Of Remembrance, Parnell Square, Dublin
A number of developers are expected to bid for the 2.05-acre former UCD Veterinary College, which fronts on to both Pembroke Road and Shelbourne Road, and which is due to be sold by tender on November 30.(1) The current market value for this land exceeds 100 million
No stamp duty is payable on the transaction because it is a government sale.(2) This amounts to 9 Million written off by the Government that could be allocated to addressing homelessness rather than an incentive to unscrupulously affluent Property Developers
The Government has allegedly earmarked the proceeds of this sale to pay for their decentralisation of local government. The Government is choosing to house well paid civil servants in plush offices in Cork or elsewhere rather than address the growing homeless crisis in Ireland.
Over the last few weeks Homeless People have maintained a presence on the streets of Dublin collecting signatures for their simple demand that central goverment releases all the monies raised by the sale of the land to Dublin City Council immediately to address and alleviate the Homeless crisis in Dublin. A very simple solution that has found resonance with ordinary people in Dublin. To date there has been over 16, 000 people who have signed the petition, this phenomanal figure represents the growing anger on the streets to an uncaring Goverment. Through the efforts of homeless people Dublin City Council has ratified our motion to accept the Money raised by the sale of the building at UCD to address homelessness in the City.
Last year 53 million was allocated to Homeless services in Dublin, the Cash raised by the sale of UCD would certainly make a difference.
Some examples of How this Money could make a difference
- A psychiatrist - singular - chosen to work with homeless people in Dublin had his job offer withdrawn because of a row over funding. This happened a mere week after three homeless people were found dead on our streets. It seems the consultant wanted a number of specific supports to help in his job and the Health Executive Northern Area management’s excuse was that its budget could not stretch this far. The job would have involved dealing with the mental health needs of about 1,000 people.
- There are currently less than 30 detoxification beds and only 150 residential drug-free treatment beds in Ireland to treat the 14,500 heroin users here, the Merchant's Quay Project (MQI) has said in its recent report. It is understood that one of the three people who died over a weekend in Dublin died of a drugs overdose. Fr Peter McVerry, long-time campaigner for the homeless, voiced his concern about services for homeless young people, saying: ‘Three of four are dying every week in Dublin from drugs overdose. It is repeated week after week.’
The HSE Northern Area budget would have been well able to stretch if the Government, its departments and agencies were not so profligate with taxpayers’ money by wasting it on string of wasteful projects, or simply not collecting it - like the €173 million in unpaid taxes the Revenue Commissioners wrote off last year.
The attitude to public money by the Government virtually amounts to criminal negligence.
Street Seen is demanding urgent action. After our recent Sleep Out at the Dail cross party TD after TD re-inforced the view that we live in an affluent country.. The money is there to stop deaths on our Streets. They know it, we know it, its time to make our voices heard...
People are dying on Dublins Streets through indifference...
The Homeless community are revolting, join them...
Further Details:
Jon Glackin 0868885779
Mark Grehan 0877974622
Notes:
(1) http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/s...9420-qqqx=1.asp
(2) Stamp duty may be described as a general revenue tax which is imposed on various documents (and in some cases undocumented acquisitions) such as transfers, agreements to sell real estate, business assets, other property, documented gifts, policies of insurance, mortgages, and motor vehicle licence transfers.
The revenue is paid into the Consolidated Fund of the State, which is used to meet the costs of public services such as education, health, law and order, and public safety.
Stamp duty is imposed under the Stamp Act 1921 with supporting administrative provisions contained in the Taxation Administration Act 2003. http://www.dtf.wa.gov.au/cms/osr_content.asp?ID=178
The Homeless Are Revolting!
Join Them!
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Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5From Irish Times: Subscription Required.
Homeless people are experiencing worse levels of exclusion and marginalisation than they did 30 years ago despite increasing levels of prosperity, the founder of homeless support group Trust said yesterday.
Alice Leahy, the director and co-founder of Trust, also criticised the State-funded "poverty industry" for allowing homeless services to become strangled by bureaucracy instead of focusing on the day-to-day needs of people on the street.
She was speaking yesterday at the launch of an initiative, Building Trust in the Community, aimed at changing attitudes towards people experiencing homelessness. The initiative, which marks the 30th anniversary of Trust, is sponsored by ESB Electric Aid.
"Some people find it hard to understand why we say things are worse for the outsider in Ireland in 2005 than it was in 1975 when Trust was founded," Ms Leahy said.
"We may have achieved much material success but many of us are equally less tolerant of those who cannot keep pace and fall by the wayside. The price of accommodation has soared and it has forced some people out on to the street.
"But their exclusion is also due to our increasing inability as a society to find space and understanding for those who cannot cope and fit in," she said.
Ms Leahy also criticised what she said was a major campaign to "professionalise" the voluntary sector, with large grants given to independent organisations once staffed largely by volunteers. These services are now providing services once delivered by the State.
"We describe it as a form of nationalisation and it is a very effective blanket to muffle the sounds of dissent. It effectively silences once prophetic voices in defence of the most vulnerable in society," she said.
"Once the independent agencies become part of the bureaucracy, they must adopt the language of management, the performance indicators and promotion systems that separate so much of decision-making from the flesh-and-blood reality."
While there has been progress, which has seen the number of people sleeping rough in Dublin fall from 300 to 100 in recent years, this compared to figures of about 60 in 1975, she said.
Trust is proposing an advocate system, where homeless people would have a person who would act as a "consumer voice" for vulnerable people. It is also distributing a free DVD on the theme of the way we treat outsiders in society. The group hopes it will eventually be seen by 100,000 people and spark a debate on excluded people.
"We would like to see people finding more creative solutions and taking a wider view of how their own lives relate to those around them," Ms Leahy said.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who helped launched the initiative, said while there had been significant improvement in the availability of services for homeless people, it was vital to help foster greater understanding of homelessness.
"Society in Ireland is changing rapidly and it is not surprising that some people are not sure where they fit in. Our future depends on the health and well-being of all our citizens and our responsibility is to do exactly what Alice and others like her are doing - to ask what we can do as individuals, communities and as a society."
This morning another person was found dead on the streets of Dublin....
Yesterday Bertie Ahern declared:
"...Our future depends on the health and well-being of all our citizens and our responsibility is to do exactly what Alice and others like her are doing - to ask what we can do as individuals, communities and as a society."
While people are dying on a weekly basis on the streets of Dublin and further afield this fool is talking about our so called reponsibilities.
How about this governments responsibilities to the people that they allegedly serve....
What kind of 'future' can we expect when people are callously allowed to die alone on the streets....
How many more people must die before this government recognises the crisis that exists...
It is clearly vital that as many people as possible can attend Saturdays Protest to send a clear message to the government and its lackeys that enough is enough...
Please circulate information of Saturdays Protest as widely as possible...
Who's next to die on Dublins streets?
Copies/Artwork of Posters and Flyers are available for distribution...
TeeShirts will also be available on the day...
All help greatly appreciated...
Please email [email protected] or bell 086 888 5779
Press Release
Street Seen a campaigning anti poverty newspaper has organized a homeless demonstration for Saturday 26th November at 3 o’clock at the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square, Dublin. The protest is part of Street Seen’s campaign of No more deaths on our streets. The protest is calling on the government to hand over the proceeds of the sale of the UCD veterinary site in Ballsbridge to Dublin City Council for the purpose of dealing with the homeless crisis. A number of developers are expected to bid for the 2.05-acre former UCD Veterinary College, which fronts on to both Pembroke Road and Shelbourne Road, and which is due to be sold by tender on November 30.(1) The current market value for this land exceeds 100 million.
Mark Grehan Street Seen spokesperson
“Christmas is approaching fast. It is meant to be the season of good will, however, the government has offered no good will to the homeless community. Homeless people continue to die on our streets, with the latest victim having passed away on Wednesday. These deaths are preventable, provided that the political will is there. The government has failed to provide this political will and instead has continued to ignore this issue. We are calling on the government to hand over the proceeds of the sale of the UCD veterinary site in Ballsbridge to Dublin City Council to deal with the homeless crisis. The government could call this a Christmas present to the homeless community, we would call it an overdue development.”
Eddie (25) a member of the homeless community said
“Being homeless makes you feel isolated and rejected. At Christmas time these feelings are far worse as it is a time that most people spend with their families. The weather is a major worry for us as we are on the streets and are facing the freezing cold. The government has ignored us and have treated us as if we weren’t even their. They should hand over the money made from the sale of the land to Dublin City Council as it is the very least that they should do for us.”
For further details
Mark Grehan 087 7974622
Jon Glackin 086 8885779
I have to say the flyers are class - getting loads of feedback about the design.
Even seen a flyer up in a South Belfast window
And as for the first Street Seen tee shirt - again requests coming in from around the North already for them.
Distinctive visual images like that are powerful ways of getting such an essential message across.
Revolt on Sat!