Statement from Ivana Bacik on homelessness figures
It is difficult to think of anything other than the children who are in care for their injuries following the vicious attack yesterday. As the city comes to grips with the violence and destruction of last night, we will need to review how we, as a nation, have got to this place.
The Department of Housing has just published its latest record breaking homeless figures. In light of the carnage in Dublin City overnight, our thoughts are with those who are sleeping rough. It is vital that they are provided with support and a safe place to stay.
When Fine Gael were first propped up by Fianna Fáil in Government, 1,846 children were living in homelessness, a figure that has exploded to 3,991 today.
Too many people have been failed by a broken housing system in this country.
Outside of the almost 4,000 children who are now living in homelessness, we know that 90,000 children are in consistent poverty in Ireland (2022 figures). If we are to have the ambition to give every child a fair start, this Government is abjectly failing.
As we continue to come to terms with the events of yesterday, we now must ensure that this Government does more, does better, for those 13,179 people living in homelessness, those at risk of homelessness, communities that have been neglected, and children that have been left behind.