Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has said that the government ‘must extend the ban on evictions until the end of the year and accelerate the delivery of much-needed public housing.

Teachta Ó Broin said:

“The emergency ban on evictions ends in four weeks’ time. A very large number of eviction notices will fall due in April and May. 

“If government does not extend the emergency ban, we will see a significant increase in homelessness into the summer. 

“This will result in an increase in rough sleeping and families with children being referred to Garda stations overnight as emergency accommodation is at capacity in many areas.

“Government must extend the ban on evictions until the end of the year. However, the ban is not a solution to the problem of rising homelessness. 

“It simply provides government with a breathing space during which they must take emergency action to increase and accelerate the supply of both social and affordable homes.

“Government must expand the capability of local authorities to purchase private rental properties with HAP and RAS tenants in situ with eviction notices.

“They must also extend the scheme to Approved Housing Bodies to allow tenants not eligible for social rental but within the income limits for cost rental to remain in situ.

“Government must also use existing emergency planning and procurement powers, as they did during Covid-19, to increase and accelerate the supply of social and affordable housing beyond the existing targets for this year.

“The dramatic rise in homelessness under Darragh O’Brien is a direct consequence of the government’s failure to deliver an adequate supply of social and affordable homes. 

“Their targets are too low and, for three years, the government has missed these targets. The result is more adults and children in emergency than ever before.”