Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD has called for Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien ‘to urgently set out his response to the ever rising levels of homelessness.’ The call was made as official homeless figures released today by the Department of Housing ‘reach a new grim record of 13,179’.

Teachta Ó Broin said:

“Today’s report from the Department of Housing shows that official homeless figures have reached a new grim record of 13,179 adults including 3,991 children.

“The report shows that in October every single category of homelessness increased on the previous month. Adult homelessness was up by 265 people, child homelessness up by 87, family homelessness was up by 47, single person homelessness was up by 118 and pensioner homelessness was up 6.

“This is the largest number of people in Department of Housing funded emergency accommodation since records began. And as we know this figure doesn’t include women and children in Tusla funded domestic violence refuges, people with status trapped in Direct Provision using it as emergency accommodation, those in religious run hostels or rough sleepers. The true level of homelessness is much higher than today’s reported figure.

“It is simply not acceptable for the number of adults and children forced into emergency accommodation to rise every single month. The Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien must urgently set out what he intends to do to bring this crisis to an end.

“Government must reinstate the ban on no fault evictions in order to create the space for this emergency response to be put in place. And we need the package of measures to reduce the number of people becoming homeless and to speed up the exit of people from emergency accommodation.

“Sinn Féin has repeatedly set out what such an emergency response should look like. Government must now take action.”