Simon Communities call to include right to a home in Constitution

The Simon Communities charity wants the Government to include the right to a home in the Constitution, saying homelessness violates a number of international treaties to which Ireland has signed up.

Speaking at the organisation’s Housing, Homelessness and Rights conference yesterday, national spokeswoman Niamh Randall said that Ireland has obligations under five international covenants referring to the right to housing.

“Under international human rights obligations, housing is not a commodity; it is a human right,” she said.