Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today there are 6,000 adults homeless and 1,724 homeless families, with nearly 4,000 children. Since 2012 and 2013, various housing and homeless organisations predicted and warned about a growing crisis, but the then Government was in denial, stating the level of homelessness would not develop and that the issue would be resolved in a timely manner. We know how that worked out. The denial of a crisis is a factor in the unacceptable levels of homelessness among children we are experiencing. The Children's Rights Alliance has published important research today which outlines the negative impact of homelessness and living in emergency accommodation on children and their educational prospects. The report states children who are homeless in Ireland are experiencing exhaustion, hunger and increased susceptibility to illness because of poor living conditions and long journeys to and from school. The CEO of the alliance, Ms Tanya Ward, put it succinctly when she stated:

Children who are homeless lose out on every level of their education because they have no home to provide them with the backdrop that they need to learn and grow. Let me paint the picture of what child homelessness looks like on a day-to-day level and the dreadful effect this has on their schooling. For a child, life in homeless accommodation can be tough. They wake up in the one room they share with their parents and siblings. Some must wake their children as early as 5.30 a.m. to make the long journey across the city to school. Many are exhausted and some fall asleep in class. School attendance is affected. The child is hungry because often there is nowhere to store food or prepare breakfast or their lunchbox. The child doesn't always have adequate washing facilities and sometimes goes to school with a dirty uniform.

Homeless accommodation makes it almost impossible for parents to establish regular routines ... It also impacts on the child's behaviour.

Such experiences should have demanded an urgent, effective and impactful response from the Government, yet, when one looks at initiative after initiative that the Government has announced, one sees target after target being missed. We read today about the serious concerns of the Dublin city chief executive about rapid build housing. It is estimated that two rapid build schemes, one on Fishamble Street and the other in Coolock, announced in 2016, will be completed in 2020. As I said, there are 4,000 children homeless. The lack of delivery is appalling. I could go through all of the initiatives Governments have announced. The repair and release scheme has a delivery target of 800 units, but the delivery has been nil.

See this speech in context