Students protest over accommodation shortages
The shortage of student accommodation has reached a critical level at a critical time, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) warned today.
With just a fortnight to go before the start of the new college term and with thousands of third level students searching for a place to live, the USI said the Government must urgently develop a Student Accommodation Taskforce to tackle the problem.
The body is staging an overnight protest expected to involve up to 30 people outside Leinster House, beginning at 5pm, and are inviting Ministers and TDs from all parties to support their campaign.
USI president Richard Morrisroe said: “Tonight students are sleeping outside in the cold to represent new levels of desperation in the student accommodation morass.
“Environment Minister John Gormley must urgently implement his party’s election pledge to enter discussions with USI on the establishment of a Student Accommodation Taskforce.
“The taskforce as envisaged should include voluntary and statutory agencies.
“After months of Government inaction, a new college term is now imminent.
“The accommodation quagmire is about to usher in a new degree in misery,” he said.
The USI said thousands of students are struggling to find suitable accommodation for the new academic term and that last year hundreds were forced to commute for two or three hours daily because housing closer to colleges was too expensive.
USI Eastern Area Officer Paul Lynam said: “The Government must pitch its tent firmly in support of our proposal for a taskforce.
“Happy campers are absent tonight – ours is a desperate gathering.
“We await dialogue and action.”
