Why are people sleeping under Wexford Bridge?

A viral video which got over 30,000 views in 48 hours has sparked outrage in Wexford. Jim Codd, the Aontu rep for the Rosslare LEA, said he made the video to highlight an issue that seems far away to most, but is happening right under our nose.

“Last week a former student of mine got in contact and told me that he was sleeping in a nook underneath Wexford Bridge,” Mr Codd said. “That’s why I decided to make the video. It was even worse than I expected when I got out there. From a shanty town of tents over looking the town to damp caverns lined with old sleeping bags underneath the bridge, it was clear that local and national government had failed in its efforts to tackle the housing crisis.”

“Homelessness has become a buzzword in Ireland. People throw it around and politicians make grand speeches about how they’ll tackle it. In fact, several well meaning but effectively useless motions went before Wexford County Council over the past few years in relation to the housing crisis. There total lack of impact can be seen in the fact that only 21 social houses were built in Wexford last year and 120 people are homeless in this area.”

“The Oireachtas Housing Committee pledged to build 10,000 new social housing units in the state. Only 21 were built in Wexford last year, below the national average, and no affordable houses have been built in the last three years. 70% of the government’s ‘Rebuilding Ireland Policy’ is provided for by private tenancies which is counter-productive to this crisis.”

“Aontu will push for accountability and demand that the 10,000 social housing target is surpassed and that government aid for private property development and speculation ends. We will also push for the reintroduction of affordable housing construction by local authorities.”

“In the immediate term, I will campaign for the construction of another homeless refuge in Wexford town to deal with the emergency situation. Having spoken to housing campaigners, I am told that some current emergency housing accommodation in Wexford is not available everyday and leaves families having to vacate their dwellings during the daytime or for whole weekends. It’s incredible that volunteer charities have been left alone to find rooms for rough sleepers while our councillors make benign motions in a €60 million glass fortress. An emergency refuge is not a long-term solution to lack of social housing, but it is far more humane than leaving people living in tent towns and underneath bridges.”