The Department of Housing has taken down a video from its social media platforms that offered guidance for adults who have had to return to living with their parents, after receiving feedback from the young participants featured in it.
The department explained that online reactions to the campaign had been largely negative and that it wanted to safeguard the wellbeing and privacy of those involved, reports RTE.
The video had been created as part of a project run by the Government agency, The Housing Agency, in partnership with the youth organisation SpunOut.
Members of the Opposition labelled it “tone deaf” while Minister for Housing James Browne admitted his department had been “misconceived” in distributing the video, reports RTE.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin defended the initiative, stating that it is important to “avoid kneejerk reactions to genuine initiatives”, reports RTE.
In a statement, the Department of Housing said it removed the video from its channels at the request of those who appeared in it, noting that their “welfare, privacy and dignity” must remain the top concern, reports RTE.
“The Department is committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for young people to use their voices on the issues that matter to them – without fear of negative or harmful responses”, reports RTE.
“It is critical that young voices are respected in the conversation around housing and homelessness in Ireland”, reports RTE.
Yesterday, Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne said the video represented a “let them eat cake” moment for the department and had “really upset people”, reports RTE.
“This has actually caused huge hurt and frustration to the hundreds of thousands who are locked at home, who are actually in a form of hidden homelessness,” he said, reports RTE.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik called the video a “move beyond satire”, adding that it would be “comical if it wasn’t so serious”, reports RTE.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett told the Dáil that the video “would be laughable if it wasn’t so disgraceful”, reports RTE.
He said his son has moved back in with him and “doesn’t need a Government video to tell him to do household chores”, reports RTE.
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