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A chairde,

With less than a month to go until the National Housing Demo on July 5th, work (and LOTS of it) is ongoing among our demo subcommittee, supported by the National Committee and Staff team on everything from outreach to logistics to comms to leafleting to budgeting - but there’s so much still to get through.

Can you spare some time between now and the 5th? We have a dedicated WhatsApp chat for coordinating demo activities - click the link below to join. Any time you can give would be massively appreciated!

Housing Demo Subcommittee - WhatsApp Group

Relatedly, we’re also trying to get the GoFundMe shared as widely as possible so if you can help with that it’ll definitely have an impact. There’s been great support for it so far, with almost €2,500 raised - but we’ve set a target of €7,500 which will mean that all expenses can be covered. Do you have a rich aunt? A nephew who, for reasons you don’t quite understand, has 500k TikTok followers? You know what to do!

GoFundMe for National Housing Demo

We have a bumper update from our brilliant Public Housing National Campaigns group (plus a few more related bits later in the newsletter)

• A HUGE win for Cromcastle Court tenants this week, getting Dublin City Council to commit to inspections and repairs. Work is ongoing to apply pressure for transfers

• In the past weeks in Kilkenny there have been great responses from public housing tenants while doorknocking. Next steps are to get out knocking again, set up a chat and meeting date - then see what the tenants are up for and what local branch support can be managed.

• This week public housing tenants in Ballymun had a meeting to discuss next steps in response to Frank D’Arcy’s (a DCC Executive Manager for Housing Operations) email agreeing to a meeting following the May 12th protest at City Hall. Tenants have proposed meeting dates within the next two weeks. There will be a doorknock this coming Thursday to collect more petition signatures for their demands and to start a campaign to log daily complaints against the council to keep the pressure up.

• A motion has been submitted on behalf of public housing tenants in Emmet Buildings, Dublin 8, by a supportive councillor asking fellow councillors to support their demands. This worked well in Cromcastle Court and is being replicated by tenants in Emmet Buildings. Voting for the motion will take place on 18 June with a protest action planned for that day outside where the area committee meeting is being held. Tenants will be doorknocking on 16 June to get everyone out on the day.

• Some great media coverage for Emmet Buildings in Dublin Inquirer and upcoming RTE coverage: Dublin Inqurier Article

CATU Waterford are hosting the 2nd of 2 community days this Saturday, June 14th from midday at Birchwood House, Ballytruckle Road, X91 PY0Y. Food, drinks, arts & crafts and music will be available on the day.

These events are taking place in support of fellow members who have been threatened with eviction/relocation by IPAS. We won’t stand by and let it happen. As such, our demands are:

- Withdraw the eviction notices immediately
- Organise suitable alternative accommodation which is agreeable to the residents
- Provide wrap-around mental health and community supports for all residents

This Saturday’s community day follows one last week which took place in Ocean View, Tramore (pictured below).

CATU Dublin 3 have called a protest for 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.

While there’s a lot of focus on the National Demo at the moment, we also have another big event in the union calendar coming up quite soon afterwards: our weekend-long Summer School from August 8th-10th.

We’re looking for volunteers to help out with planning and coordination. If that’s you, click HERE and we’ll get you linked in with the working group.

CATU's Universal Public Housing Manifesto is now available to buy on catu.bigcartel.com and in Connolly Books in Dublin 📗

This follows a brilliant launch event last Thursday in the Forsa offices in Dublin 1, bringing together tenants and civil service/council workers for a wider discussion on immediate and longer term housing solutions, and how we can position these demands as part of CATU's National Housing Demo on July 5th 📣

We were delighted to also welcome a number of international housing organisers and policymakers from across Europe and the Americas who brought their own unique perspectives to the conversation.

CATU Galway held another successful new members’ training over the weekend. More and more people in Galway are joining the union as they realise our strength lies in our numbers. Renting in Galway is precarious and only when we unite we can demand change.

The focus of yesterday's training was on membership defence; how we show up for each other when landlords are trying to push us down, how we plan and take action as an organised group.

As you can see below, it was a really well attended event and the Galway momentum shows no signs of slowing down!

A reminder of the Dublin city-wide meeting next Saturday, June 21st. Please find below the running order for the day.

🤝 Dublin City wide meeting in Tailors Hall, Back Lane, Dublin 8 from 2PM. Updates and planning on cross branch campaigns and activities. Agenda to follow.

🎓 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 on the 5th of July

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

CATU Belfast had their most recent branch meeting last night with a great mixture of newer and more experienced members coming together to discuss ongoing member defence work and to plan their participation at the National Housing Demo, among other items.

All members are invited to attend the "Homes not Hazards" photography exhibition on Saturday, June 28th - which is being organised as part of our Emmet Buildings and Cromcastle Court public housing campaigns in collaboration with Friends of the Earth Ireland and the Just Housing research project.

It’s an exhibition of photographs taken by residents in Emmet Buildings and Cromcastle Court flat complexes focusing on the housing conditions in both estates. It includes personal testimonies about the impact of the conditions as well as materials documenting the organising work that’s going on in both estates.

The exhibition will be open from 11-6pm on Sat 28th of June in Tailor’s Hall, Dublin. There will be a short launch/discussion from 1-1.30pm followed by a workshop from 2.30-4pm.

The workshop is linked to the Friends of the Earth ‘Tenants for Warmer Homes’ campaign and will focus on strategies for building campaigns both for better conditions for tenants and to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions from public housing. It’s a great opportunity to discuss how we can leverage climate targets and funding for public housing retrofitting to advance our members’ interests.

Homes not Hazards - Event Registration Link

CATU Cork’s CATZ is back for Round Two!

The Community Action Tenants Zine is open for submissions - do you have something to say about housing, home, or tenants' rights? They’re looking for submissions!

The deadline is 17:00 on July 19th.

They’re looking for writing, art, poetry, or reflections that speak to the realities and resistance of tenants and renters today.

Please send images or links of your work and your name, if you wish it to be stated to: [email protected]. In the case of text work they would appreciate 500 words max per person - pieces in any language are welcome.

In Solidarity,

Naoise Faogáin
National Administrator

Community Action Tenants Union - CATU Ireland

www.catuireland.org