#social-housing

#social-housing

Communist East Germany's high-rise prefab residential blocks and their political and cultural impact in what was one of the biggest social housing experiments in history is the focus of a new art exhibition, in which the unspoken challenges of today's housing crisis loom large. Wohnkomplex (living complex) Art and Life in Prefabs explores the legacy of the collective experience of millions of East Germans, as well as serving as a poignant reminder that the housing question, whether under dictatorship or democracy, is far from being solved.

In the United States, calls for better social services, public programs, and other state-led interventions are reliably met with cries of impracticality. Ideas from the left are regularly derided in hyperbolic terms; some classics include the charge that the left wishes to give away the equivalent of "free ponies" (that one comes via Hillary Clinton), or are otherwise pie-in-the-sky utopians living in a "magical fantasy land," promising " unicorns " and the like.

I saw 10 to 15 rats scurrying up the walls, running into a hole in the bin store ceiling,

The development will feature a new Bauhaus-inspired block, which will be leased as student accommodation, and a separate council-managed social housing block.

The funding includes 1.7 million from the Greater London Authority's Warmer Homes London initiative, supporting residents on lower incomes in privately owned or rented homes with Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings of D to G.

The new interpretive centre will be on the site of an old Magdalene laundry, illuminating the harsh realities faced by women who were unjustly incarcerated for societal norms.

Nicholas Barry expressed frustration, saying the council ignores tenant concerns, leading to frequent issues such as flooding with hot water and sewage.

"It's not cold in winter times. It's not hot in summer times," Schublach says. "It's very comfortable."

Eight years ago, standing underneath the burning wreckage of Grenfell Tower, I was convinced it would be the catalyst for societal change; that something so awful, which resulted in the horrific loss of 72 lives, could not happen without things changing. And yet we sit here eight years later and people are still going to sleep in buildings that aren't safe.

Children's Minister Norma Foley emphasized the need to address misinformation regarding assessments of need, stating that they hold significant purpose and value in supporting families.

A public art trail in the Regent's Park Estate showcases 12 installations to celebrate community creativity and heritage, informed by feedback from over 1,600 local residents.

"The Government cuts to housing funding for Dublin City Council continue to cause damage," Sinn Féin councillor Mícheál Mac Donncha said.