Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has said that the government must provide security to renters by extending the eviction ban until the end of the year and by taking emergency action during that time to tackle rising homelessness.

Teachta Ó Broin said:

“The government’s eviction ban ends at the end of next month and I am extremely concerned about the number of families and individual renters facing homelessness if it is not extended.

“When the current ban was introduced in November, we told the government that they needed to use the breathing space provided to introduce a series of emergency measures including increasing and accelerating the delivery of social homes.

“Unfortunately the government chose not to do this, meaning many renters now face the prospect of being made homeless at the end of next month.

“Sinn Féin has therefore tabled a motion this week calling on government to extend the eviction ban until the end of the year. But we are calling on them to do much more than that.

“They need to make the kind of emergency interventions we have called for to increase and accelerate the delivery of social and affordable homes. They also need to introduce emergency planning and procurement powers, and utilise modern building technologies on vacant buildings and to deliver modular homes.”

Thomas Gould, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North-Central and member of the Oireachtas Housing Committee, added that the government must significantly increase their existing inadequate housing targets.

Teachta Gould said:

“Renters need security. The government has lost control of the homelessness crisis as levels continue to rise despite the winter ban on evictions.

“Instead of utilising that time to tackle what is an emergency situation, the government sat on their hands.

“That is scandalous and has directly contributed to homeless levels rising. They cannot and must not make the same mistake again.

“If the government is serious about reducing homelessness, they must increase the overall social and affordable housing targets to at least 20,000 new homes a year, including 8,000 affordable homes.

“They need to recognise we are in a housing emergency and that an emergency plan must be put in place.”