LIMERICK Labour TD Conor Sheehan has said the publication of the latest homelessness figures — showing a record 15,580 people, including 4,775 children, in emergency accommodation — must be a wake-up call for Government.
The figures, published last week by the Department of Housing, expose the growing scale of a crisis that has spiralled under the watch of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, according to Deputy Sheehan.
“Labour is calling for urgent action: a major investment in public housing, stronger protections for renters, and a dramatic reduction in the State’s over-reliance on the private market to deliver homes,” Sheehan explained.
“It has become completely normalised that homelessness figures climb higher every month. This is no longer a housing crisis – it is a housing disaster, and Government is responding with inertia. We cannot accept a situation where 4,775 children have no place to call home. That is the appalling vista we are now living in.
“To have one child in homelessness is a national scandal. But to have 4,775 — in one of the wealthiest countries in the world — is nothing short of a national emergency. This Government is failing these children. The State has the resources to solve this crisis, but not the political will.”
The Limerick politician went onto call for the Government to turn the tide on this “national scandal”. Deputy Sheehan wants them to stop outsourcing housing responsibility to the private market and deliver the public and affordable homes that Ireland so desperately needs.
“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been promising solutions for years — but what have we seen? Record homelessness, unaffordable rents, and families living under unbearable pressure. While these two parties continue their go-slow approach, thousands of children are being failed. Labour believes we cannot wait any longer.
“We need to create homes that people can afford — homes for families, for young people, and for future generations. We need to build public housing at scale and introduce stronger protections for renters to give people peace of mind and security. We need homes that work for everyone, not just for investors.
“Ireland should never have allowed things to reach this point. But we are here now, and it is time for Government to act like it understands the scale of the crisis. Housing is the issue that defines the future of this country — and the future for the 4,775 children in emergency accommodation is hanging in the balance,” he concluded.
