The Government is refusing to take emergency measures to address the homelessness crisis, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne.
Deputy Hearne said:
“Today’s figures show there were 17,447 people living in homeless emergency accommodation at the end of May. Shockingly, 5,583 of them are children.
“There’s been a 20% increase in the number of children living in homelessness since the election of this Government. That is beyond outrageous and should not be normalised.
“Emergency accommodation hubs are bursting at the seams, many of which have lengthy waiting lists as they are at capacity, unable to take in any more families. Those living in hidden homelessness are not counted in today’s figures.
“The thousands of families who are on these waiting lists are sleeping rough, couch surfing, living in refuges, or have been forced to emigrate. Others in housing precarity, such as parents of children with additional needs or elderly people with medical needs, cannot enter emergency accommodation because it is unsuitable, and are therefore not counted as homeless.
“This is before considering the countless number of young people forced to live in their childhood bedroom. It is no wonder that so many do not see a future here.
“The Dublin Simon Community’s report this week showed a 20% increase in the number of women accessing its homeless services. We are in the midst of an unprecedented social catastrophe, with mass evictions taking place across this country at an unprecedented scale.
“Last week, Tánaiste Simon Harris said the majority of tenants are covered by a no-fault evictions ban. This is patently untrue. The majority of the 250,000 rental households who are not covered by the new measures introduced in March are still at risk of eviction into homelessness.
“Since James Browne became Housing Minister in January 2025, 27,000 households have been issued an eviction notice. This is a shameful legacy.
“Only corporate landlords and vulture funds are benefiting from Government housing policies, not ordinary families, who have been kicked out of their properties in their droves as a result.
“If the Government is to stem the rise in homelessness, it must listen to viable solutions from the other side of the House. It must start by immediately introducing a three-year ban on no-fault evictions for all tenancies, and a blanket ban on rent increases, before housing becomes even less attainable.”
June 26th, 2026