Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD has accused Taosieach Simon Harris ‘of trying to shift the blame for rising homelessness onto Councils’.

The Dublin Mid-West TDs remarks were made in response to the Taoiseach’s claim that rising levels of homelessness was a ‘peculiar situation’ and that how Councils allocate social homes must be ‘considered’.

Teachta Ó Broin said:

“When Fine Gael took office in 2011 there were 3,808 people including 641 children in emergency homeless accommodation. 13 years on and there are now more than 14,303 people including 4044 children. That’s a 530% increase in child homelessness on Fine Gael’s watch.

“Since the current Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael coalition was formed in 2020 homelessness is up 64%, child homelessness is up 66%, family homelessness up 80% and pensioner homelessness up 83%.

“The increase has accelerated since the Government ended the ban on evictions where the tenant had done nothing wrong in April 2023.

“The reason why homelessness is rising is because Government is not delivering a sufficient volume of social and affordable housing to meet current need.

“For the Taoiseach to claim that a sufficient volume of social housing was being delivered shows just how out of touch he is.

“His claim that the rise in homelessness is a ‘peculiar situation’ and that how Councils allocate social homes must be ‘considered’ is nothing short of a naked attempt to shift the blame for rising homelessness from Government onto Councils.

“Homelessness is rising because the Governments social and affordable housing targets are too low and they are not meeting them. Government is also not doing enough to prevent people from becoming homelessness.

“After 13 relentless years of rising homelessness under Fine Gael the only thing that is peculiar is that the Taoiseach refuses to accept that the problem is his Governments failing housing policy.”