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A chairde,

Preparations are ramping up across the island* with only a little over two weeks to go now until July 5th’s National Housing Demo. We had a stall at Tuesday’s Raise the Roof protest in Dublin, while all kinds of community outreach is taking place via our local branches and demo coordination group.

(*tune in next week to see how I manage to emphasise how we’ve gone from ramping up to overdrive).

Can you help out with things like phonebanking, leafleting, logistics or comms? We have an organising WhatsApp chat for the Demo which you can access HERE. It’s probably the best place to get a sense of what needs to be done and how you can get involved.

On the comms side of things specifically, there will be a media/spokesperson training event taking place this Friday, June 20th at 18:00 in the CWU Offices, 575 North Circular Road, Dublin 1. No previous experience in dealing with the media is required to attend - and there’ll be an online option as well for those who can’t make it in person. Let me know if you’d like a link for that.

CATU Dublin 3 will be hosting a poster-making session this evening (Thursday) at 18:30 in the IWU Offices on 61 North Strand Road, Dublin 3. Members, supporters, friends and family are all welcome to join for an evening of arts and crafts ahead of the big day!

Below you’ll find a brief summary of related events over the next couple of weeks.

As mentioned in the standalone email earlier this week, there’ll be a Cork leg of the Raise the Roof demo on Saturday (2pm, Grand Parade), while on Wednesday, June 25th there’ll be another banner/poster making session, this time in Unit 18, Trinity in the Community, Macken Street, Dublin, starting at 18:00.

We’ll also be putting up posters and leafleting busy spots such as the main train stations in the days leading up the Demo.

The fundraiser we’re running has done well but stalled a bit in recent days - we need to get it shared as widely as possible and get donations flowing in so that we can try and hit the target of €7.5k. The link for that is HERE.

CATU Cork held a successful local AGM last week with a strong committee of 13 now in place and ready to build on the excellent organising that’s been happening there for a long while now.

With the union’s national Ard Fheis taking place in November, we’ll start to see a lot of local ones happening in branches over the coming months. Keep an eye in the newsletter and your branch chats for info on dates etc.

CATU Limerick will be hosting 2 events this coming Friday - a launch event for the Universal Public Housing manifesto (following on from the Dublin launch a few weeks back) AND a banner-making workshop. All in one place!

The launch of CATU's Universal Public Housing Manifesto marks a community-led response to Ireland’s housing crisis. We're building a bold, public alternative to the chaos of rent pressure zones, loopholes, and vulture funds.

For the second part of the evening, expect paint, placards, maybe a playlist, and, most importantly, people who are ready to take action.

It’s all happening in the Unite Buildings, Lower Cecil Street, Limerick, V94 E1H7 from 18:00 on Friday.

A final reminder for this Saturday’s Dublin City branch meeting. Below you’ll find an agenda for the day. All members in the Dublin City area are welcome (that includes D12-Inchicore, Mountjoy-Dorset, Phibsnevin, Rathmines-Ranelagh, D7 West, Ballymun-Finglas, Dublin South City, Dublin 3, Dublin Bay North).

🤝 Meeting begins in Tailor’s Hall, Back Lane, Dublin 8 from 2PM. Updates and planning on cross branch campaigns and activities.

🎓 Followed by a doorknocking training, starting in the same venue at 3:30PM.

🗞️ Then connected to this, a mass leaflet/doorknocking for the national demo in Dublin 8! Starting around 4:30PM

🎉 Finishing up in Peadar Brown's on Clanbrassil St. for a gig with Clatter and Drone, Trash Guzzler, and Augalai. Tenner on the door from 7PM and all proceeds go towards the union and building towards the National Demo.

If you have any questions about the day, get in touch with [email protected] 

CATU Galway staged a sit in on Monday at the Galway City Council building in defence of our two members, Kat and Diana, both of whom are being or have been evicted along with their children and face homelessness.

We demand security and housing for our members. Kat was offered accommodation which was completely uninhabitable due to black mould and strong odours, and Diana has been offered nothing and has been ignored entirely when reaching out to Council.

After refusing to leave for several hours, members eventually met with the head of the Housing Department of Galway City Council and received an appointment to help secure housing for our members.

This situation is ongoing and, as of yet, not resolved.

Galway City Council has empty homes, unspent budgets, and vacant promises, yet seemingly no solutions for mothers and children.

This situation, which many more are facing in Galway, and throughout Ireland, is unacceptable.

CATU Galway will be taking many actions in the months ahead for their Homes, Not Holiday Lets campaign against short term lets. To get involved contact [email protected] 

CATU Dublin 3 have called a protest for next Thursday, June 26th at 14:00 at Dublin City Council’s Wood Quay offices.

The protest is taking place in support of fellow member Linda and her family. Herself and her son were forced to flee their home in Baker’s Yard due to extreme mould issues - Linda has been hospitalised with breaking difficulties as a result of this.

They returned to their family home in Sean O’Casey Avenue, where Linda’s parents lived, and raised her, for 39 years. Linda’s brother, Robert, also lived there until his sudden passing earlier this year. Her surviving brother, Owen, will also need to be housed when he leaves the Prison Service next year.

The family are simply asking for Dublin City Council to ratify a transfer to their family home. With the support of the union and local community, we’ll make sure that happens.

Prior to the protest itself, the D3 branch will be out doorknocking this evening and again on Saturday to spread the word. If you’d like to join them, drop [email protected] a mail or check in with the local WhatsApp chat.

In Solidarity,

Naoise Faogáin
National Administrator

Community Action Tenants Union - CATU Ireland

www.catuireland.org