Results are in: Housing crisis is worsening under current Government
- Labour launches its Housing for All scorecard
Since the inception of the Housing For All strategy in summer 2021:
- Rents have increased 26.9%
- House prices have soared by 24%
- 70.4% increase in child homelessness
- Social housing targets missed
- 23,103 notices to quit issued from Q2 2023 to Q2 2024 alone
Labour leader and housing spokesperson Ivana Bacik has criticised Government for failing to meaningfully tackle the housing crisis.
Following its launch in August 2021, Housing for All is failing to deliver any change for those on the coal face of the housing crisis, with renters and those in need of social and affordable housing bearing the brunt of the crisis.
Deputy Bacik said:
“The housing crisis is going backwards under the watch of Fianna Fáil. By any fair marker, this Government is consistently and persistently failing to meet its own targets.
“An analysis carried out by my office shows that this Government is failing on the three key metrics: the cost of rent, the price of a home, and the levels of homelessness. Rents are up, house prices are up and most shamefully homeless figures are up – we now have 4,401 children in homelessness.
“These figures are grim, with a story of human tragedy behind each one; a story of major delays, a rental trap, overcooked house prices and systemic policy failings.
“For anyone struggling with rising house prices, rising rent and rising homelessness, they will be deeply frustrated at the lack of ambition or action from Government in tackling the housing crisis.
“Rents have increased by over 25% (26.9%) since the Government launched its plan, and we know there is a desperate lack of rental homes available on the market.
“Coupled with almost 25,000 eviction notices being issued in the past year alone, it should come as no surprise that we have reached record levels of homelessness – rising from 8,656 people living in homelessness in September 2021 to 14,429 people now in homelessness based on the Department’s most recent update in July of this year.
“Even when we look at supports for people hoping to get on the housing ladder, the Government is failing to provide equality of access. First time buyers are locked out of supports when buying a second hand home, and many of the grants presuppose that people can pay upfront and claim back the outgoings later. That’s just not a possibility for the majority of people in the housing market.
“From any objective analysis, this Government is failing to deliver on the promise of Housing for All: that “every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes: to purchase or rent at an affordable price; built to a high standard in the right place; offering a high quality of life”. Unfortunately we live in a paradox of plenty, and this Government seems to have thrown in the towel, opting for flashy once-off announcements rather than improving the quality of living in Ireland.”
“I am proud to lead a Party which believes that things do not have to be this way. Labour has a clear plan to build better, together. To safeguard children and protect them from entering homelessness, to ensure strong protections for renters and to ramp up the delivery of homes at a level necessary to tackle the chronic under shortage in the housing market.
“Our ambitious housing plan is worth fighting for, even if those in Government have given up.”
ENDS
Detailed analysis as follows:
Rents have increased 26.9%
Q3 2021: €1,516
Q2 2024: €1,922
House Prices have increased 24%
Sept. 2021: €272,000
Jun. 2024: €337,500
23,103 notices to quit issued from Q2 2023 to Q2 2024.
- Reporting obligations on landlords changed in July 2022 so figures between now and when HfA launched aren’t comparable.
Social Housing projects face consistent delays and missed targets
2021 (Rebuilding Ireland): 9,183 (out of a target of 12,750)
- New Build: 5,202 (out of a target of 9,500)
- Acquisition: 1,270 (out of a target of 800)
- Lease: 2,711 (out of a target of 2,450)
2023 (HfA): 11,939 (out of a target of 13,130)
- New Build: 8,110 (out of a target of 9,100)
- Acquisition: 1,830 (out of a target of 1,500)
- Lease: 1,999 (out of a target of 2,530)