Students’ unions from five Dublin third-level institutions are running a co-ordinated “digs drive” in an attempt to tackle an accommodation shortage that is causing some people to defer or drop out of their college courses.
“We have students who are doing their studies while homeless,” said Trinity College Dublin students’ union president Jenny Maguire.
She said some students are doing their studies “while sleeping on couches, in cars – having accommodation some nights of the week and then sleeping in a friend’s house another”.
“This is just the norm of what it’s like to be a student nowadays. So, when people support these digs drives, it is transformational to someone’s education,” Ms Maguire added.
I went to the cinema to see Small Things Like These. By the time I emerged I had concluded the film was crap
Forêt restaurant review: A masterclass in French classic cooking in Dublin 4
‘I’m hoping at least one girl who is on the fence about reporting her violent boyfriend ... will read about my case’
What Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Greens promised in 2020 - and how much they delivered
Commuters passing through Connolly Station from 7am on Tuesday were offered flyers outlining the campaign, which encourages homeowners to avail of the rent-a-room relief scheme. This allows them to earn up to €14,000 tax-free.
Online portals for each of the five colleges – Trinity, University College Dublin (UCD), Dublin City University, Dún Laoghaire’s Institute of Art Design and Technology (IADT) and the National Colleage of Art and Design – are operating to allow the advertisement of rooms aimed at students in specific institutions.
The students’ unions involved hope this approach can help some people to avoid rental market horror stories.
Last year, the scheme was criticised by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), which labelled it a ‘Band-Aid’. Representatives of the “digs drive” agree it is not perfect, but feel their efforts are necessary in the context of the housing crisis.
“It’s that we’re left with no other option,” said Ms Maguire. “Students are dropping out, are deferring years because they simply have nowhere to live. This is a Band-Aid, and these solutions are needed, but what’s really needed is actual investment through purpose-built student accommodation that is State-owned and can be actually affordable.”
Having secured accommodation through Trinity in her first year, Aoife Mollen was unsuccessful in her application to renew the arrangement. She spent the last two semesters commuting from her family home in Tullamore, Co Offaly.
“I’m missing out on so much,” she said. “So much of college is being able to meet people, being able to use the facilities – go to the library. You have this sort of cut-off. You can’t do it to the full extent like other students.”
Ms Mollen said she is fortunate that she is comfortable at home and her parents are happy to accommodate her. She kept looking for alternative housing through the year, but no viable opportunities arose as most places were seeking a rent of €800 to €1,000 per month.
“I have friends who have been commuting since first year,” she added. “Most of the commuters are [travelling] an hour and a half. Commuting does wear on you after a while. Getting up early every morning and having to study then – I know it’s the norm for a lot of people but that doesn’t mean it should be the norm.”
The “digs drive” in past years only sought accommodation for students at Trinity and UCD but has now extended to the other three colleges. Flyers will continue to be handed out at various commuter hotspots across Dublin this week.
Diana Moldovean, education officer with IADT students’ union, said many are facing “an insanely sad situation”.
“I was a student in there and I used to commute for two hours, so four hours out of my day would go towards commuting, which ends up killing any social life that I could have and any possibility of me working more.”
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis