The latest homelessness figures are further proof that the Government is completely out of ideas when it comes to tackling the housing crisis, according to Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan.
Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s spokesperson on housing, said:
“There are now 14,159 people living in homeless emergency accommodation – the highest ever recorded in the history of the State.
“Shockingly, 4,316 of these are children – a jump of 110 in one month – and 217 are pensioners.
“These figures come in the wake of the recent rough sleeper count for Dublin, which saw a 54 per cent increase in the number of people sleeping on the streets over the last year.
“When this Government took office, there we’re 8,699 people in homeless emergency accommodation. Even at that time this was unacceptably high and we were promised action to deal with the crisis.
“Since then, homelessness has increased by 63 per cent. This cannot continue. A disaster of this scale must be treated with the urgency it deserves.
“We need to be building thousands of social and affordable homes every year so that individuals and families have a chance of securing a long-term stable home.
“Local authorities should be acquiring land through compulsory purchase orders to ensure a continuous supply of social and affordable homes for a growing population.
“This Government’s third Taoiseach is continuing the appalling record of his predecessors.
“They are clearly out of ideas and the thousands of people without a roof over their head are paying the consequences.”
June 28, 2024