1. Community Action Network

2. Equal Power Relationships
WHY
Universal
(Vision for Society)
Rights v Needs
Stops Stigmatising
Evidence Based
Outcome Focused
Accountability
Equal Power Relationships

3. CAN - HUMAN RIGHTS WORK The Right to a Home - Local Campaign
The Collective Complaint - a National Campaign
The Right to Health - Service Users Rights in Action
Emerging Campaigns

8. Outcomes Larger Alliances of Communities Created
Significant Measureable Outcomes
40 +homes upgraded
Agreed regeneration plan – phase 1 almost complete – 90 new homes
44 new senior citizen homes under construction
Ground-breaking work on structural nature of problems
Inspirational demonstration site
Challenging – time, resource implications, one area does not change the system
Larger Alliances of Communities
Created
Testing the methodology in 5 other
geographical communities
Community Benefits Primer
Collective Complaint process within the Council of Europe

9. Collective Complaint Ireland is member of Council of Europe
Signed Revised EU Social Charter 2000
Protocol – Collective Complaint
Ireland did not sign Article 31 but previous judgments established that the right to housing covered under Articles 16
Also invoked Articles 17, 11, 30 and E

10. Accountability Systems
Absence of Accountability Systems
No representative body
No independent complaints process
No access to independent investigations
No regular assessments of needs, resources, results
Creating Accountability Systems
Ireland in global context
International treaties and bodies holding Ireland to account

11. Stages Research and gather evidence
Lodge initial complaint via a recognised European organisation
Committee of Social Rights decides on admissibility
If admissible they notify the Attorney General and all relevant parties
State response
Our response
Committee assesses merits and makes recommendations which are sent to the Council of Ministers.
Not legally binding but are morally and politically
Are reviewed thereafter

12. Substance of our CC
Failure to adopt Social Charter rights within legal, policy and administrative frameworks of housing for Ireland
Adequacy and habitability, suitability of some LA housing
Regeneration programmes do not respect housing provisions and other rights in Charter

14. Decision
The Committee finds that the Government has failed to take sufficient and timely measures to ensure the right to housing of an adequate standard for not an insignificant number of families living in local authority housing and therefore holds that there is a violation of Article 16 of the Charter in this respect.