USI Officers wearing hard hats will use hammer and nails to construct a timber house outside the Custom House Offices at 11 a.m. The construction will then be decorated by students from the National College of Art and Design. A great number will then begin the difficult search for accommodation. The particular housing needs of students must be recognised. Only 8 per cent of Irish students live in on-campus accommodation.
Many European countries house up to half their student population in purpose built housing.
The Government must address this issue. Investment in purpose-built student housing would be an essential step in addressing the housing problem in our cities.