ALONE Launch Home Truths Housing Campaign
ALONE launch nationwide housing campaign
“Release boarded up homes for older people in need”
ALONE, the charity that cares for older people in need, has launched a nationwide housing campaign calling on all local government candidates to address the housing needs of vulnerable older people.
Speaking about the issue Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE said “4,765 older people are in need of a home and there are over 4,000 boarded up homes around the country. We are asking local Government to commit to releasing unused properties and land to ALONE and other social housing providers, so that we can provide homes to the most vulnerable older people in our society.”
Any properties that were released to ALONE would be renovated by ALONE and then used for the re-homing of an older person in need. ALONE would manage the re-homing process and provide the older person with any follow up care and support that they needed.
ALONE believe that the Irish Government has no clear plan or targets in place to deal with the inevitable issues created by Ireland’s ageing population. In 2012, 12% of the Irish population were aged 65 or over but by 2041 this number will rise to 22%. Increasingly older people are finding themselves with nowhere to call home, this issue results from of a number of factors including a lack of single person accommodation, rising rent prices and cuts to grants for essential home maintenance. 25% of all calls that ALONE receives are directly related to housing.
ALONE are inviting every local Government candidate to sign their online petition and pledge their support to ALONE’s Housing Campaign ahead of the local elections on May 23rd ALONE are asking that all members of the public to request that their local election candidates sign the petition. The petition has been circulated to all parties and candidates. Members of the public can view the petition to see which candidates have pledged their support here.
Established in 1977, ALONE provides vital supports to the one in ten older people who are in need. The charity provides a volunteer befriending service, campaigning services, a community response service and provides 100 age-friendly homes to older people in need. ALONE receives no state funding for their day to day activities, it is through the donations from members of the public that the organisation can carry out its essential activities.
ALONE can be contacted on (01) 679 1032 for those who have concerns about their own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of a vulnerable older person in the community or visit www.alone.ie
