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LACK OF TRAVELLER-SPECIFIC ACCOMMODATION REQUIRES URGENT ACTION

 

Travellers best placed to lead on development and design of culturally appropriate accommodation, research finds

 

2^nd December 2009

 

The lack of proper accommodation for Travellers in Ireland needs to be urgently addressed to reduce the number of Traveller families living in extremely poor conditions across the country, research released today has found.

 

The Irish Traveller Movement has published a Feasibility Study on the Establishment of a Traveller Led Voluntary Accommodation Association (TVAA), which found that getting Travellers involved in the decision-making processes around the accommodation provided for them is the only way to make significant progress in the area. 

 

The research, launched today by the Minister for Housing, Urban Renewal and Developing Areas, Michael Finneran T.D. is published as part of Traveller Focus Week 2009, a programme of events taking place from 30^th November ? 11^th December to increase awareness of and promote interest in Traveller culture, heritage and pride.

The main aim of a TVAA is to develop a Traveller-led model for the delivery and management of Traveller accommodation that will support Travellers to take a lead in it and participate at all levels including creating opportunities for the employment of Travellers. 

Speaking about the research, Brigid Quilligan, Assistant Director of the ITM, said:

 

?The lack of progress in providing Traveller-specific accommodation, promised in legislation as far back as 1998 is frustrating, but this study shows that the inclusion of Travellers in the process will go some way towards removing the barriers that currently prevent that progress.  Travellers believe that the accommodation issue can be solved with real will at a political and institutional level.

 

?There is a high proportion of the Traveller population under the age of 18 which indicates that Traveller accommodation needs will not decrease any time soon ? making it all the more essential that this opportunity to develop an ongoing solution is not lost.

 

Despite media reports which focus somewhat disproportionately on the cost of any accommodation that local authorities may provide, the facts are that 345 families are still sharing accommodation in overcrowded conditions, with 524 living in temporary accommodation.  The ITM is proposing that a national analysis of the cost per unit of Traveller accommodation should be conducted to ensure that value for money is being achieved and that the development of Traveller accommodation is sustainable in the long-term.

?There are still a considerable number of Traveller families living by the roadside in conditions that no other section of Irish society would be expected to tolerate, and it?s been shown that there is a critical link between improved accommodation for Travellers and better uptake of education, health and employment services, continued Quilligan.

?Un-serviced sites lack basic requirements such as running water, access to electricity and fire precautions, which greatly reduce the life expectancy of the Traveller community?.

Traveller specific accommodation includes serviced halting sites, group housing schemes and transient sites, and The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 places a statutory obligation on local authorities to meet the accommodation needs of Travellers.  Authorities are required to implement an accommodation programme that would include this range of accommodation provision as well as standard local authority housing for Travellers who would prefer that.

Over the next 18 months, dependent on the necessary resources, the ITM will lay the foundations for the establishment of a TVAA that will have the requisite structures, systems, policies and resources to fully establish itself as an independent entity.

For further information please contact Damien Peelo, Director, Irish Traveller Movement, 01 679 6577 / 087 796 0904