Shameful record as 5,238 children without a home
Shameful record as 5,238 children without a home - The Labour Party
Labour’s Housing Spokesperson Conor Sheehan TD has said that the record-breaking homeless figures published today should shame the Government into action. The latest Department of Housing statistics show that 16,614 people are now living in emergency accommodation, including 5,238 children. Deputy Sheehan said this devastating new milestone is the result of Government failure to deliver homes, and he questioned where the long-promised housing and infrastructure plans have gone.
Deputy Sheehan said:
“These are not just numbers – they represent families, children and individuals whose lives are being torn apart by a housing system that is completely broken. We now have over 16,600 people in emergency accommodation, including more than 5,200 children. That’s 5,200 children without a place to call home, 5,200 children growing up in hotel rooms and family hubs, 5,200 children robbed of security, space, and stability.
“This is another shameful milestone, and it should shame this Government to its core. But where are they? We’ve heard endless promises of a new infrastructure bill – where is it? We were told to expect a new, much-trumpeted housing plan in July – we’re now at the end of October and still being told it will be ‘a few weeks’. Where is the Minister?
“In addition, we urgently need a proper homeless prevention framework to stop people falling into homelessness in the first place. The Minister must prioritise this as a matter of urgency. We also need to bring forward a supplementary estimate on homelessness to ensure sufficient resources are in place. Above all, we need a comprehensive action plan that treats this as the national emergency it truly is – because that’s what it has become.
“Every week that passes without action means more families being evicted, more children being forced into emergency accommodation, and more lives being pushed to breaking point. The Government’s endless cycle of delays and announcements without delivery has become a cruel pattern. People in every town and city can see that the system isn’t working, yet all we get from the Minister is excuses and spin.
“Labour has consistently called for a radical shift in housing policy – one that puts people, not developers, at the centre. We need a massive public housing programme, investment in affordable homes, and real regulation of rents. Government needs to stop pretending that the market will fix this. It hasn’t, and it won’t.
“The reality is that this crisis is deepening on every front. Social housing construction is lagging far behind target. Affordable purchase schemes are failing to deliver. Local authorities are starved of resources. The Tenant In Situ scheme, which could prevent homelessness, is being underused and underfunded. Meanwhile, ordinary people are paying the price for years of inaction and missed opportunities.
“This crisis demands leadership, urgency and accountability – three things that have been missing from this Government’s approach to housing. We need the Minister to come before the Dáil and explain what has gone wrong, where these long-promised plans are, and when real delivery will begin. The time for excuses is over. Labour is calling for a housing policy driven by compassion, urgency and public investment.”