My home area has been burdened by crumbling concrete blocks. The northwest of Ireland is currently going through a housing crisis caused by a company that failed to comply with government regulations and a government that failed to enforce its building standards. The Cassidy Bros Ltd. supplied blocks for over 6,000 homes and businesses in Donegal that have excessive amounts of Mica and Pyrite minerals. Over time these blocks started to crack and crumble, leaving people with homes they could no longer live in and have to be demolished and rebuilt. At first, the Irish government gave no support to those affected by this scandal, but after many protests, a scheme was created to help the homeowners. However, the scheme doesn’t fulfil the needs of the people or help business owners in any way. Not only does this scandal destroy homes, but it is also destroying communities, leaving homeowners with unrelenting amounts of stress, and depriving children of the safe and secure childhood they deserve.
