- Opinion
- 05 Dec 18
Written to highlight the housing and homelessness crisis in Ireland at the moment, the main message of the song is 'a hotel room is not a home'.
If you've been at any of the rallies in the past months, you will be familiar with the powerful song, 'Take Back The City" penned about the ongoing housing crisis.
Dublin musician Luke Clerkin wrote the song during his experiences with the campaign of the same name earlier this year. Recorded with producer and friend Gavin Doyle at his studio in Templeogue, the pair enlisted the help of his classmates in Ballyfermot Rock School to bring the sound of a protest into the song. The song encapsulates the human cost of the current crisis and has become one of the main features of the demonstrations, with the simple yet devastating reminder that "a hotel room is not a home".
The song will be officially released on December 14th online, with all proceeds going to Inner City Helping Homeless.
Formed 5 years ago in response to the rising number of people sleeping rough in Dublin City Centre, Inner City Helping Homeless operates 16 hours a day, 7 days a week offering advocacy and outreach supports to over 10,000 people affected by homelessness in Ireland.
The charity is run by 1 paid staff member in an admin role and 220 volunteers with 37,120 on street engagements in 2017 alone. They are currently assisting up to 3 families a day who come into their office on Amiens St in need of support. Because they are not government funded, ICHH relies on the generosity of charity partnerships, volunteers and fundraising events to raise the vital funds needed to keep the charity operational.
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