Minister for Housing must immediately reinstate ban on no-fault evictions
An increasingly dysfunctional rental market is contributing to record levels of homelessness, according to Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan.
Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s housing spokesperson, said:
The latest figures show there are now 12,441 people living in homeless emergency accommodation. This is the highest number in the history of the State and surpasses last month’s grim record. Of these, 3,699 are children, representing a 39 per cent rise since this Government took charge.
“These are not just numbers – each person is a daughter, son, sister, brother, mother or father going through a deeply distressing ordeal.
“It beggars belief that this Government can claim they have turned the corner on housing when the number of children growing up homeless rises every month.
“This week, the Dublin Simon Community reported that 25 per cent of the beds in one of their homeless hostels were being taken up by people in employment. They include cleaners, skilled tradespeople, healthcare employees, taxi drivers and other workers who have been left with nowhere to go, despite earning a steady wage.
“If workers cannot afford to put a roof over their head, it shows that the social contract is in ruins.
“The majority of people entering homelessness are coming from an increasingly dysfunctional private rented sector. The Government’s disastrous decision to lift the ban on no-fault evictions is leaving renters with no other options but to seek help from homeless services.
“We simply cannot accept these appalling numbers of people becoming homeless. I am again calling on the Minister for Housing to immediately reinstate the ban on no-fault evictions in order to protect people from experiencing the trauma of homelessness.”
June 30, 2023