The government is continuing to ignore proposals that would deliver homes in favour of the same old doomed policies, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne.
Deputy Hearne said:
“One year ago, on the day of General Election 2024, the number of people in emergency accommodation was 14,996. That figure today is 16,766.
“Shockingly, 5,274 of these are children – a 13.5 per cent increase since the election.
“The legacy of this government is that more people are now without a home than when it first took office.
“A short time before election day, Micheál Martin told Virgin Media News that he hoped the numbers of people in homelessness would come down over the next 12 months. His government has ensured that the exact opposite has happened.
“The Taoiseach’s party has held the housing portfolio for the past five and a half years. Fianna Fáil has had the power to do more than just hope for the housing crisis to improve, yet it continues to rehash variations on the same old housing plans that every dog on the street knows do not work.
“Ireland is a wealthy country with the money to tackle this crisis, yet successive governments’ housing policies have failed to adequately increase the provision of social and affordable homes. The current Coalition has no new ideas on how to fix this mess.
“No child should grow up without a home, and this should not be a radical statement. Yet, this Christmas, more children than ever will find themselves in emergency accommodation.
“Not only are government housing policies failing to deliver homes, they are forcing more and more renters out of theirs. New tenancy rules have led to a 35 per cent increase in termination notices issued by landlords in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
“It’s long past time that this government admitted the blindingly obvious – its housing plan is not working – and listened to radical housing solutions, such as the Social Democrats’ plan to turbocharge State-led delivery and rollout modular home factories.
“If they are unwilling to listen to sense, then a change of government will be required to tackle this emergency.”
November 28, 2025