THE Government has been asked to immediately reinstate the ban on no fault evictions to protect people in Limerick at risk of homelessness.
The call from Limerick Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan as figures from the Department of Housing show a significant rise in homelessness in Limerick in the weeks before the ban on evictions was lifted on April 1.
“The March homeless figures are utterly shocking. The number of people in Department of Housing funded emergency accommodation rose by three per cent to 11,988.
“During the week of March 20 to 26, there were 340 adults accessing emergency accommodation in Limerick. These figures are no surprise to me as my constituency office is inundated with people desperately looking for help in finding a place to stay.
“March was the last month in which tenants were protected by the ban on no fault evictions. What these figures tell us is that levels of homelessness are going to start rising significantly in Limerick from April.
“All of this demonstrates the need for the Government to immediately reinstate the ban on no fault evictions.
“The Government has not put the necessary emergency measures in place to deal with the expected rise in homelessness from April.
“I have repeatedly urged local government TDs Willie O’Dea, Brian Leddin and Kieran O’Donnell to tell those with eviction notices falling due where they should go. However, still cannot answer this simple question.
“What level of homelessness do we need to see before the Government acts to protect those at imminent risk of losing their homes in Limerick?” he asked.
