We need affordable housing for all.

If elected, I will campaign for measures to help ordinary people afford a house by supporting increased council development of mixed housing. Everyone’s situation is different: housing allowances should target different needs.

I have a strong track record in working to create stable long-term housing for vulnerable members of society. I am currently chairing a Bluebell Regeneration Project, while my organisation, Tiglin, houses over 200 vulnerable people with several ongoing long-term projects, such as elderly housing, mother-and-child refuge housing, and affordable homes and alternatives aimed at combatting homelessness and those at risk of homelessness.

The Light House Homeless Café, where I volunteer each Friday, has served over 120, 000 hot meals and basic supplies to those in need, in the last two years, we have been bursting at the seems, especially through the recent rough sleeping crisis.

I will promote liveable communities that allow residents to remain in their homes and provide opportunities for people of all ages, ability levels, and backgrounds to engage fully in civic, economic, and social life.

I witnessed family addiction as a child and suffered the deprivation that goes with it. Access to education helped me overcome my disadvantage. That’s why I value education and want for others to have access to it.

Since 2016, I have worked with South East Technological University to facilitate educational opportunities for early school leavers and those who did not engage with traditional education. In 2023 alone, 120 individuals completed at least one third-level certificate.

I believe that access to education is the measure of our inclusivity. 

Having started two successful businesses which today employ 40 people, I understand the difficulties in developing and running a business today. I want to encourage those who wish to start a business to do so. I believe that in the current day and age, small business should be the backbone of our economy and that we should support small businesses and those starting a business.

As someone who started a business at an early age, it hasn’t been easy, but it has shaped me into who I am today. I firmly believe that we must be practical and efficient as a country.

Through my work with Tiglin, I have overseen employability projects that equipped and encouraged people to find meaningful employment. I have also worked on developing social enterprises that provided opportunities to those with a lack of employment while funding the existing social work operations. 

Having witnessed violence in the home as a child, I have a deep commitment to creating a society where men and women are always respected equally. Violence comes in many forms and is never acceptable.

We must face up to the challenges that face women and children in particular in Ireland and worldwide. We need to further educate people against gender-based stigma. I will campaign to highlight the challenges we still face and the solutions we need to overcome them.

In recent years, I have created a woman and child refuge, while through Tiglin, I have provided shelter to women affected by homelessness, domestic violence and addiction. I believe in real and practical solutions to protect women and allow them to flourish. 

I run a small business, and we are committed to becoming environmentally sustainable. I have made several improvements to reduce waste and promote sustainability. In particular, through my work with the Bluebell Regeneration project, we are developing several hundred affordable housing units with a high energy rating and strong environmental sustainability considerations.

Also, in my work with the Light House Homeless Café, we have established several partnerships with local businesses and food producers to reduce food and other waste while feeding the unfortunate without emergency accommodation.

I am currently working with the Department of Agriculture to establish ‘The Homeless Forest’ in Co Wicklow: a new woodland of 10,000 trees contributing to nature while highlighting the problems facing homeless persons.