A woman has been living in emergency accommodation with her five children for 2½ years, the Dáil has been told.
Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan said on Thursday that the woman had been in touch with him over the last week. He said since the Government’s decision to lift the eviction ban earlier this year there had been “record levels of homelessness month after month”.
“Never in the history of the State has the number of children growing up without a home been so high,” he said. “Homelessness for children can have devastating and long-term consequences on their education and their development.”
The Dublin Bay North TD said there was “no evidence” of any Government action or strategy to get children and families out of homelessness, and asked Tánaiste Micheál Martin what exactly was being done to help those in such situations.
In response Mr Martin said 2,500 tenant in situ purchases were now progressing at various stages, and these people would be prevented from going into homelessness by direct intervention and action by the Government.
The Fianna Fáil leader added that the State was building “far more social homes than we have in decades”, with 10,000 social homes provided last year, while the figure would be closer to 12,500 this year.
He added that the Government was working “very hard” in terms of shortening the time people are homeless or in emergency accommodation.
