A sleep-out will be held outside the Dáil as students call on the Government to act regarding the student accommodation crisis.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and student representatives will sleep on Kildare Street overnight, kicking off their 'No Keys, No Degrees' campaign at 12pm on Thursday.
The USI describe the difficulty in sourcing student accommodation around the country as "worse than ever" with students and their families becoming increasingly angry as they search for a place to live for the academic year.
Last week, the students' union called for Government action, claiming lack of suitable accommodation will cause students to drop-out or defer, however, the USI claim they received no response.
The USI and students' unions across the country are calling for funding for affordable, purpose-built student accommodation, an end to new course places if additional living spaces are not also provided, legislation and other necessary action to retain student accommodation beds, and rent controls.
"We are outraged at the lack of action, or it seems even interest, from Government on the disaster that is the situation facing students looking for accommodation at the moment," USI president Clare Austick said.
"The situation has been bad for several years, but after years of inaction from Government and the Covid-19 pandemic, it is an absolute mess.
"I cannot stress enough how bad the situation is for students at the moment. They are dropping out of college, deferring places, facing travelling long distances every day – that’s if there is even a public transport option – and living in hostels or hotels for crazy money."
"This cannot go on any longer and action must be taken. All students want is a decent, basic place to live so they can get their degrees and make a life for themselves.
"Today’s action is aimed at showing how angry we are and how desperate the situation is," Ms Austick added.
