Government must act as 5,830 children spend August homeless
Government must act as 5,830 children spend August homeless - The Labour Party
- Child and Family Homeless Plan has been delayed three times and remains unpublished
Labour housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan TD has called on the Minister for Housing to publish the repeatedly delayed Child and Family Homeless Plan and with ringfenced funding in Budget 2027. Figures published today for August 2026 show 17,885 people in emergency accommodation, including 5,830 children.
Deputy Sheehan said:
“Nearly as many people are homeless as live in Malahide. This Government is normalising child homelessness. There is nothing normal about 5,830 children growing up without a secure home.
“The Minister promised the Child and Family Homeless Plan in the second quarter of the year and then in June and then by September. We are at the end of September, two weeks from the Budget, and families are still waiting. He spoke at the Simon Communities conference, but his inaction speaks louder than words. While he talks, more children enter emergency accommodation.
“Families also need the long overdue HAP review. Renters relying on HAP face a market with no homes within reach, yet the Minister has shown no urgency on increasing the limits. He must publish the review before the Budget.
“Labour has put forward clear steps: properly fund a homelessness prevention framework to protect children from homelessness, fund the Tenant in Situ scheme to meet demand and a temporary ban no fault evictions. The Minister must publish the child and family plan with Budget funding and act on the HAP review. Children cannot wait through another month of excuses.”