Another Month, Another Scandal: Government Stands Idle as Child Homelessness in Dublin Hits 3,589
Another Month, Another Scandal: Government Stands Idle as Child Homelessness in Dublin Hits 3,589 - The Labour Party
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin MEP and Labour spokesperson for Dublin has condemned the government for presiding over yet another devastating rise in child homelessness.
Describing the latest figures as “a national disgrace and a political failure of the highest order”, Ó Ríordáin said:
“There are now 3,589 homeless children in Dublin alone – part of a shocking nationwide total of 4,844 – trapped in emergency accommodation, growing up without the stability of a home, while the Government continues to do nothing.
“Every month, more children are added to the tally – and it is treated with the same silence by Government. Families are being crushed by sky-high rents, evictions, and a housing system tilted entirely in favour of landlords and investors. In a country running an €8 billion surplus, this level of homelessness is a choice – the Government’s choice.
“While the Irish Government continues to delay and deflect, Social Democratic colleagues and I in Brussels are actively working on solutions. This week, in a landmark development in the European Parliament’s Housing Committee, renowned housing expert Professor Padraic Kenna of NUIG laid out how EU consumer protection law could be used to regulate residential tenancies.
“This was a breakthrough moment because if tenancies are viewed under EU consumer law, it opens up powerful new legal avenues to challenge unfair evictions, abusive rental contracts, and imbalances in tenant-landlord relations.
“For too long, tenants in Ireland have had the weakest protections in Europe. This intervention could transform how housing rights are enforced, not just here but across the Union.
“It’s time for a radical shift in housing policy – one grounded in public housing, tenant protections, and the political will to treat housing as a human right.
In Ireland and in Europe, Labour will keep pushing for real solutions – because these children can’t afford any more delays.”