1/22 After #GE2020, we have been trawling through our JCFJ archives. For 40 years we have been fighting for social justice in Ireland, and through the lens of Peter McVerry, we've watched the housing crisis develop up close. A thread on why we need a total change in direction: 
2/22 The crisis is at an unparalleled level but it has been brewing for decades. In 1997 when the Celtic Tiger was first roaring, Peter wrote to the Irish Times in May to lament the scale of tax cuts, while disabled teenagers slept on the streets. Nothing new under the sun, eh?
3/22 By 2001 housing costs were spiralling. This became a major factor in the collapse of the economy of 2008. In #ge2020 the party committed to controlling rents has enjoyed unprecedented success. Here's Peter suggesting such policies a generation ago:
irishtimes.com/celtic-tiger-l…
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4/22 By 2007, with the bubble fully inflated, Peter had this to say: irishtimes.com/news/mcverry-b…
5/22 Following the crash, instead of thinking creatively about social housing, business as usual continued uninterrupted. In fact, social housing diminished almost to zero.
6/22 In the summer of 2009, Michael Punch, then of @ucdsociology, published a systemic review of the Irish housing system for JCFJ. It argued that the provision of stable, long-term housing - what we call "Housing First" - was critical. jcfj.ie/wp-content/upl…
7/22 The current primary policy of "HAP" (Housing Assistance Payment) is about as perfectly opposite an approach as can be imagined. It costs over €2 million *a day*, transferred from the public purse to private pockets. Is this what we call "fiscal responsibility"?
8/22 As austerity’s bite deepened, Peter predicted how these rent supplements would worsen the crisis. While officials could argue their policies were efficient, in this piece in the Irish Times, he called it a "fiasco", "crazy, heartless, and immoral" irishtimes.com/opinion/letter…
9/22 In 2013, the numbers experiencing homelessness were still under 4000. But it was more than numbers that meant Peter declared the problem to be as bad as he'd ever seen. And the worst was yet to come. irishtimes.com/news/social-af…
10/22 The housing & homelessness crisis isn’t an unforeseen tragedy. It is the perfectly predictable consequence of Government policy. In 2014, Peter warned a "tsunami" of homelessness was on the horizon and if the Government didn't change course, it would eventually collapse.
11/22 The State pledged to end homelessness by 2016. Prominent charities welcomed this. Peter declared it a fantasy. The problem would continue to grow. irishtimes.com/news/social-af…
12/22 The economy was beginning to show statistical signs of recovery and Peter understood that the next phase was beginning where rental costs would skyrocket. In December 2014 he pleaded with the Government to intervene.
Reader, they did not.
irishtimes.com/news/social-af…
Reader, they did not.
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13/22 By Christmas 2015 Peter, immersed as ever in frontline support work with the nation’s homeless, could not conceal his frustration with Government policy.
14/22 In 2016 he continued to raise the alarm with little official response. By 2017, he predicted there could be 3,000 homeless children. He was out by a few hundred - the figure was *only* 2643, but that number would continue to grow.
15/22 Around this time, he also began to warn about the problem of “normalisation”. The original government plan had been to eliminate homelessness by 2016. 2016 came and went and the spin continued. Peter, however, kept offering proposed solutions: irishtimes.com/news/social-af…
16/22 This straight talk did not help him win friends or influence people. Various officials and ministers attempted to discredit him during these years, but his analysis has remained rigorous and consistent throughout.
17/22 In autumn 2017, JCFJ published a landmark special issue of our journal Working Notes, assessing Rebuilding Ireland. We could find little to celebrate... jcfj.ie/issue/80-rebui… Each of the articles, including a piece by @roryhearne, has continuing relevance.
18/22 By 2019 Peter argued that any 12-year-old could conclude from the evidence that the current policies weren't working, and asked the Government to stop relying on spin to justify themselves. irishtimes.com/news/social-af…
19/22 So, this is where we find ourselves. Whatever can be made of the #ge2020 results, it is clear that the people of Ireland have had enough of Rebuilding Ireland. Peter is not alone. He is joined by many who know how much harm is being done.
20/22 Largely composed by Peter, along with @keith_jcfj, JCFJ have a coherent five-point agenda for a new housing policy. Whatever form the new Government takes, it is time to commit to the steps that will make a change. jcfj.ie/wp-content/upl…
21/22 There is no reason we can't eliminate homelessness. There is no reason we must always be in a boom or a bust around construction. These are political decisions which benefit some - at the tragic cost of others.
22/22 Peter is a priest, not a prophet. There’s no divine revelation here. Many are saying the same thing. A change is possible. Ensure that your new TDs know that you will not accept anything less than a home for every last one of us… including Tiny the Dog.
