Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has said that “Government policy is driving month on month rises in homelessness”.

The Dublin Mid-West TD’s comments were made in response to the Department of Housing’s June homeless report, released today, which shows that all categories of homelessness increased from May to June.

Teachta Ó Broin said:

“Today’s Department of Housing homeless report shows all categories of homelessness increased from May to June. Last month there were 14,303 people including 4,404 children in Department of Housing funded emergency accommodation.

“Since Darragh O’Brien has been Minister for Housing homelessness has increased by 64%. Child homelessness is up 66%, family homelessness up 80% and pensioner homelessness up 83%.

“Government policy is driving month on month rises in homelessness. They are not delivering enough social housing. They are not doing enough to prevent people from becoming homelessness. And they are not doing enough to get people out of emergency accommodation when they are homelessness.

“Repeated calls from Sinn Féin and others to introduce a range of emergency measures including a ban on evictions where tenants have done nothing wrong, ramping up tenant-in-situ and increasing and accelerating the delivery of social housing have all fallen on deaf ears.

“As long as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are in Government, the worse the housing and homelessness crisis will get.

“That is why we need a general election, a change of Government and a Sinn Féin Minister for Housing that will priortise the delivery of social and affordable housing to a level that will see homelessness fall each month, not rise.”