Government failing children on homelessness, Donnelly says

Local Sinn Féin councillor Angela Donnelly has said that “successive Irish governments are failing our children” in relation to the homeless crisis.

In late April, a new document was launched by the Fingal Children & Young People Committee, which found that children are the ones who suffer the most from homelessness.

The document was launched by Gráine McKenna, assistant professor at Dublin City University’s Institute of Education.

The latest figures from the Department of Housing showed that 15,418 people were in emergency accommodation in Ireland, with 10,948 of that figure being in Dublin.

Statistics from the Simon Community found that there has been a 12.7% increase in the number of children who have fallen into homelessness over the last 12 months.

The same set of statistics found an 11.7% increase in the number of families availing of emergency accommodation.

Donnelly remarked, “record figures are not news anymore; each month we have new record figures.”

Per CYPSC’s research, children living in homeless accommodation are often more sick due to stress and cramped living conditions, arrive to school hungry, are often tired and cannot maintain energy levels, tend to get upset or frustrated more quickly than children in stable accommodation and miss out on social occasions such as birthday parties as they are embarrassed about their living conditions.

The CYPSC support information pack includes contact information for housing advice agencies, health services, addiction services, migrant support, financial support services, Tusla, Fingal County Council, domestic, sexual gender-based violence, rough sleeper guide and family resource centres.

The Ongar councillor noted, “in the 1940’s social homes made up 40% of the housing stock in this country; by the 1980’s that had dropped to 20%, and today, the number is 9%.”

Members of the opposition have noted that ever since the no-fault eviction ban was lifted in early 2023, homeless numbers have risen back to record highs, and recent government cuts to the Tenant-In-Situ scheme look set to exacerbate the problem.

“The government’s Tenant-in-Situ scheme that was going to stem the tide of homelessness following the removal of the eviction ban, has been watered down to the extent that in Fingal County Council, the €20 million allocated by the minister for housing this year will not go much further than to finish out the process of buying the 59 houses that were in the pipeline from last year,” Donnelly explained.

“In 2024, Fingal County Council received €43,700 from the government to purchase 134 homes, which saved 134 families from entering homelessness. They also received €11,000 per house if required for renovations; that will not be available this year.”

Local Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne remarked that the Minister for Housing was “patting himself on the back” over missing housing targets, and that there is a disconnect between the government and the reality of the housing crisis.

“Housing policy pursued by this government is creating homelessness. The tenant-in-situ scheme is a genuinely preventative measure that would save these families and children from the trauma of entering into homelessness, and yet the acquisitions made by the government in 2024 were a mere 994 homes.”

“Since then, there has been uncertainty over the future and funding of the scheme, as thousands of renters find themselves in limbo with the threat of eviction hanging over them,” he said.