Organisers of the Raise the Roof protest are expecting thousands of people to turn out for their housing crisis march in Dublin on Saturday.
The protest comes just a day after the latest homelessness figures hit a new all-time high, with 11,397 people now without a home and living in emergency accommodation.
This includes almost 3,500 children and does not include many other categories of homeless people, such as those living on the streets, people staying with family or couch surfing.
Read More: Ireland's homeless figures rise to over 11,300 in another record high
This afternoon’s protest will include members of political parties, unions and community organisations, including People Before Profit, Labour, Sinn Féin, SIPTU, Focus Ireland and the Fr Peter McVerry Trust.
One of the main organisers of the protest is People Before Profit TD, Richard Boyd Barrett.
Last night he said: “This Saturday at 1pm at Parnell Sq. in Dublin the Raise the Roof demonstration will take place.
“People Before Profit are calling on people to turn out in large numbers in order to send a clear message to the government that their housing policy has failed and that a radical shift is needed to address the dire situation being faced by so many people.
“The situation is becoming ever more urgent as we look at the latest figures, where the numbers of families and households forced into emergency accommodation has reached a new record high.
“People need to come out to the protest this Saturday to force the Government to build social and affordable housing en masse on public land so that we can begin to make a dent on the housing list and so that we act urgently to prevent more families being evicted into homelessness.
“This week in the Dáil I brought in tenants from Lower Rathmines Road, Tathony House, St Helen’s Court and other individuals who are facing no fault evictions, so they could look the Taoiseach in the eye as he answered my question about their situation.
“These people, who have always paid their rent- working people who have done nothing wrong- are staring down the barrel of being turfed out onto the street because of the government's failure to protect them.
“This is a shocking situation but is the bitter fruit of a failed housing policy by this and successive governments.
“Recent events in East Wall also show how important it is for people to come together in the common cause of ending the housing crisis.
“This protest is an opportunity for people all over this country to vent and direct their well justified anger with the housing crisis at the government who have allowed this situation to get worse and worse.”
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