At the final Student Council of the year, your VP for Welfare Róisín, with support from the Executive, presented a policy to the council, and it passed unanimously.
This policy allows DITSU, with the strongest possible terms, to reject any unaffordable student accommodation that may be built on the Grangegorman campus. This policy is on foot of our actions to protest the rising prices of accommodation your Union has worked on this year:
- We no longer promote or advertise any accommodation that is completely unaffordable for our students
- DITSU sent letters to managers of unaffordable accommodation targeted to students in the area to affirm our stance against their prices
- Your Executive brought at least 1,000 DITSU students to protest on the 3rd October #RaisetheRoof march
Your Union has been working hard on your behalf to make your voices heard and say that the accommodation crisis is currently impacting on our students directly. We cannot stand for this, and we are taking action.
The new policy adopted by Student Council says the Union wants:
- Secured grants for Higher Educational Institutions to build purpose-built student accommodation
- Affordable and fit-for-purpose student accommodation
- Lobby for the regulation of Air BnB
- Introduce rent pressure zones for purpose-built student accommodation
- Ensure students have appropriate tenancies rights in both student accommodation and digs
- Criteria to be introduced on the TU Dublin Student Pad so that student accommodation is safe, affordable and of good quality.
The full policy is available to read here.
Will we be taking more actions in future to combat the housing crisis, and make sure students no longer have to pay huge amounts to have somewhere to stay while they study.
We need your help to keep the pressure on the Government and on our University.
On the 18th of May, DITSU will be joining the #RaisetheRoof protest in Dublin City. Join us, and protest to make the Government make the changes we need.
Details of the event are here.
