Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The homelessness crisis in our capital city is getting worse. Walk the streets around here and one will see countless people, many of them very young, sleeping rough. Imagine what it must be like to be forced to sleep on the streets night after freezing night. This week, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive confirmed that rough sleeping in the city has increased by a shocking 200% in the past 12 months. This morning, Focus Ireland reported an 18% increase in demand for its services this year. Many other homeless agencies are experiencing similar demands. They have also highlighted the fact that the number of families presenting as homeless in Dublin has doubled from eight to 16 every month.

This Government is responsible for this crisis. Its austerity policies are forcing families out of their homes and on to the streets. Its cuts to social housing budgets have meant that councils simply do not have the houses to ensure that nobody is forced to sleep rough. When is the Taoiseach going to take this homelessness crisis seriously and when does he propose to release the funds to give sufficient funding to ensure that no family is forced to sleep rough or live in emergency accommodation?

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