Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has said that only a change of government will ensure that homeless numbers fall.

The Dublin Mid-West TD’s comments were made as the Department of Housing’s latest homeless report shows that all categories of homelessness increased in August.

Teachta Ó Broin said:

“Today the Department of Housing published their monthly homeless report for August. It shows increases in adult, child, family, single person and pensioner homelessness on the previous month.

“There are now 14,486 people, including 4,419 children, in Department of Housing-funded emergency accommodation.

“Of course, the real level of homelessness is much higher than this.

“Whatever way you look at it, the longer Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and in government the worse this homelessness crisis will get.

“Only a change of government and the implementation of Sinn Féin’s alternative housing plan, A Home Of Your Own, will ensure that homeless numbers fall.

“At the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis today and tomorrow, we will set out our big ideas on how we will make housing affordable and how we can stop the tide of workers, families and children falling into homelessness.

“Contrary to the dishonest and dangerous claim by An Taoiseach this week that rising inward migration is leading to rising levels of homelessness, today’s figures confirm, once again, that it is government’s failure to provide an adequate supply of social and affordable homes that is leading to increased levels of homelessness.

“Over the last two years, the month-on-month level of homeless presentations has remained relatively static. The problem is that the government’s low level of social housing delivery means that people are spending longer in emergency accommodation.

“As we will set out at our Ard Fheis in Athlone this weekend, we need a change of government, a change of policy, and a plan to end long-term homelessness and the need to sleep rough.

“Until that happens, this crisis will continue to deepen.”