Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of a new model for affordable rental accommodation under the programme for Government. I also raise the issue of homelessness. I want to tell a story about a girl and to use her words not mine. This is a girl who at the age of 18 lost her mum, aged 39, suddenly. A year later she witnessed her father, aged 41, collapse and almost die from an aneurysm. This left him disabled and living with his eldest sister. This girl is the youngest of four sisters. She is kind, caring, very talkative, loved by many and does a huge amount to help others. She is now aged 29, with two beautiful boys, aged three and 11. She raises them on her own, does her best to support them and keep them safe. This girl lost a 38 year old sister to cervical cancer last year and she took in her then 17 year old niece to love and support. This girl lost a rented house because the owners wanted to sell and now, through no fault of her own, she is registered homeless because rent is too high for her to afford. After having been placed in hostels and city family hubs, she is now split from her family and sleeping on couches belonging to friends and family because the hub is now full and she has been moved on. This girl walks past people on the street every day. She is invisible to them and they do not see her or help her. The Government does not help this family but aims to help the country. This is rubbish.

This is a girl we all know. She chats on the street and says everything is fine but this girl is far from fine. One will see the bags under her eyes from crying, her severe weight loss, her ill-health and the stress on her face from worrying about where her little family will sleep tonight. This girl is not invisible.

We have spoken about rent pressure zones. They are not working. We have spoken but freezing rent for three years. What is the Government going to do? These are the realities. Class was mentioned earlier. There is no class here. This is about real human beings. This is only one story, and I make no apology for bringing it up today because these are the cases coming into our offices everyday. What is the Government going to do about the housing and rental situation in this country?

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