Colin Farrell has spoken out about Ireland’s homeless crisis. The actor didn’t hold back when speaking about the gravity of the situation, and feels that much more needs to be done in an effort to tackle the ongoing crisis.
Speaking with Ryan Tubridy on RTE Radio 1 today the Dubliner, who now lives in the US, let listeners know that he thinks the issue is “shocking” that it’s gotten to this point.
“I know I’m over in America and life is grand for me but it doesn’t mean that I don’t give a s*** about what’s going on.
“I’m not going to start lecturing the people of Ireland but it’s time the politicians…the population of our country is aghast at what’s going on.
“What is a refugee? Someone who has to move from place to place without a home to find some sense of existence or some sense of peace. They’re basically refugees in their own land. It’s shocking. There’s no structure around it.
“It’s absolute insanity. How many houses around the country are empty and reclaimed by the banks? I’m no politician and I’m certainly no economist and I certainly don’t have any clear fiscal answers to the issues.”
The 40-year-old doesn’t claim to have all the answers on how to solve the problem, but he did make suggestions on what could be done to ease the intensity of what is happening in our country.
“I get it, I’m an actor, and I’m a mouthpiece but its outrageous and it’s unnecessary. But something has to happen.
“Imagine what you could do with the Ormond Hotel…What a piece of property! It’s boarded up. It’s redundant. It’s useless. It’s dead space.
“What do you do? You fill it with life. Fill it with social reparation. You give people the opportunity to get their lives back in order.
“It’s time that politicians really stepped up to the plate and started putting structures in place, starting working on healthcare, to help these members of our society.
“I can’t judge because I’m not walking a mile in the shoes of the people we’re speaking about but there are so many things that have to be done,” he said.
