25/04/2014

Call To Address Housing Needs Of Vulnerable Older People

ALONE are launching a nationwide housing campaign today 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."

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 23 May.

(CD)

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