A Rialto Rights in Action Group (RRiaG) discusssed at our 3rd Knowledge Exchange Forum 'What Works?' was established in May 2009 as a collaboration between the tenants and the local community development organisations operating in Dolphin housing estate.
Dolphin House Estate is Dublin's second largest remaining public housing flat complex owned and managed by Dublin City Council (DCC), with 436 units. Built in the 1950's, the living units (flats) are smaller than modern minimum guidelines with much overcrowding; are affected by dampness and mould, sewerage (waste water) penetration, accessibility problems (no lifts, despite being multi-storey), and one-room units (originally designed for older people). The financial and property crash of 2008 resulted in the collapse of the planned regeneration projects for Dolphin as private developers withdrew from the contracts. The collapse of the plans compounded the lack of confidence in housing management by tenants, now facing years of intolerable housing conditions. This frustration and policy failure led tenants and local community organisations to consider new options for articulating their grievances.
As part of the event we invited cartoonist Allan Kavanagh to interpret the dicussions happening at the event in relation to the examples of successful advocacy case studies.