Trinity appeals to alumni for spare rooms amid student accommodation crisis

when Trinity emailed alumni last week, it highlighted the need for additional rooms due to what it described as "an accommodation crisis". Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

The student accommodation crisis has been coming for years, said a Labour senator, after Trinity College sent an email to former students asking if spare rooms could be made available for students.

Landlords who rent out a room can avail of tax-breaks for up to €14,000.

However, when Trinity emailed alumni last week, it highlighted the need for additional rooms due to what it described as "an accommodation crisis".

Labour Senator and former USI President Annie Hoey said that research as far back as 2014 stated there was a student accommodation crisis and said immediate action needed to be taken.

"It's been nothing but getting worse ever since," she said. "There are literally students who are not going to be able to uptake their educational opportunities this year because they cannot get accommodation and they have nowhere to live."

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That Trinity needed to send out a call to alumni to find rooms for students highlights how serious the situation is, she said.

A spokesperson for Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said an additional 1,200 beds have been made available for this academic year.

However, they added that there remain significant challenges.

Ms Hoey said one such challenge is the affordability of purpose-built student accommodation saying that not everyone can afford it.

Purpose-built accommodation is an important step to addressing the crisis but it is currently one that is not accessible to the majority of students, she added.

The spokesperson for Mr Harris also said that a new policy intervention on student accommodation has been agreed but details are still being finalised.