Today’s harrowing record-high homelessness figures are an indictment of a Government which has completely lost control of Ireland’s housing emergency, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne.
Deputy Hearne said:
“Today’s figures show there were a record 17,308 people living in homeless emergency accommodation at the end of February. Shockingly, 5,457 of them are children, another devastating record.
“The cause of this crisis, which continues to spiral out of control, is Government failure to treat this situation with the urgency and gravity it demands and progress policy and legislation that will adequately address what has become a defining disaster for this generation.
“Instead, Government introduced disastrous rental measures on March 1st, the lead up to which saw a dramatic increase in evictions, the likes of which have not been seen since the famine – Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael policies are directly contributing to a stark rise in homelessness.
“At this rate, we could be faced with a quarter of a million evictions in the coming decade if major policy changes are not introduced at speed and at scale.
“In the months prior to these rental changes, which allow landlords to reset rents to market rate between tenancies, I repeatedly raised the drastic rise in notices to quit with the Minister for Housing, who chose not to act to prevent this crisis getting even worse.
“Landlords are kicking out tenants as they’ve been incentivised by Government policy to do so in order to hike up rents, tenants who are not covered by the lease protections introduced, which only apply to new tenancies.
“This week, I introduced a bill to give people a constitutional right to housing. There is no mention of a right to housing in any housing policy currently being put forward by the Government.
“Instead, they are intensifying their approach of treating housing as an investment asset for institutional investors and vulture funds, rather than a necessity for the people of Ireland, which is an abdication of duty.
“Including a right to housing in the Constitution, by holding a referendum, would put an obligation on the Irish State and the Government to ensure that all citizens have access to a decent, secure, affordable home.
“A right to housing is essential if we are to tackle this social and economic catastrophe, but, crucially, the Government must also urgently take proactive measures to increase supply and affordability – the Social Democrats would introduce a Homes for Ireland State Savings Scheme to fund the fast and efficient delivery of housing via modular homes factories and a State construction company.
“The Government must begin to change its tack by immediately increasing the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) rates on an emergency basis to avoid a further tsunami of homelessness – we are well and truly past breaking point.”
March 27th, 2026