David Gardiner, Workers’ Party representative in Dublin Mid-West, has called for emptyproperties to be requisitioned for use by families currently living in emergency accommodation amidst, for the duration of COVID-19 pandemic. 

Gardiner said:
“Due to the confined nature of homeless hubs and B&Bs, coupled with the current necessity of social distancing, families living in emergency accommodation find themselves under even
more than pressure. 

“How is somebody living in a hotel room with their family, who has been advised to self-isolate, supposed to follow these instructions when they have as little as one room in their accommodation? This makes it practically impossible for them to keep their distance from their family.” 

He continued, calling for AirBnB to provide a list of all properties which were listed with them as of last March 8th, saying:
“As a first step, AirBnB should be compelled by the government to provide a list of all properties which were listed on AirBnB as of 8th March 2020. All these should be requisitioned to house those currently living in emergency accommodation. 

“The crisis will take an even heavier than usual toll on people’s mental health. It’s bad enough for a family to be confined to such a small place as is, but now children don’t even have anywhere they can go to kick a ball without risking infection or contributing to the spread, meaning most will stay inside.” 

Gardiner concluded: 
“The current situation is effectively a prison sentence for homeless families, far from an example of how any state should treat its citizens.”