Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The issue of homelessness in Limerick is spiralling to new and concerning levels. We have never seen it so bad. There is a complete absence of available emergency accommodation for those who desperately need it. Homelessness service providers have spoken to me, as they do regularly, and have advised me there are simply not enough available beds in the city. In fact, they understand there are none available at the moment. People who were once able to afford their rent can do so no longer and there seems to have been a significant increase in the number of notices to quit being issued across the board, given all my Dáil and council colleagues tell me the same. The recent issuing of such notices en masseto the residents of the Shannon Arms apartment complex is evidence of this, and with the severe lack of affordable rental units available in and around the city, it is no surprise there has been an increase in the demand for homelessness services.

My office, as I am sure is the case with those of all Limerick Deputies, has been inundated with calls from those at risk of losing their residence. Many are working families, often in great distress, who feel utterly abandoned by the State in their hour of need. Many simply do not earn enough to be able to afford a mortgage, but neither do they meet the income thresholds to avail of social housing supports. Even if they did, the Limerick housing list extends to 2,214 people and they have no hope of being housed, with thousands more people in precarious housing assistance payment, HAP, properties who live in fear of getting a notice to quit. Emergency accommodation in Limerick often includes a variety of properties such as hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, hostels and temporary accommodation, and there is now a deep concern some families will be unable to access any of these forms of accommodation.

Where are these people supposed to go? For too long when it comes to housing, governments have relied on the housing assistance payment, but HAP is at the discretion of the landlord and in many cases landlords will not accept tenants who want to avail of that payment. Even if they do, the payment itself is modest. HAP's usefulness has passed and without review it can no longer be fit for purpose. What we need is an increase in the number of available social and truly affordable houses. Today in my office, we were dealing with a family in which both parents are working. They are due to be evicted and have simply nowhere to go. There are no affordable units to rent and they earn too much to avail of State support. The limits that would allow them to get some State support have not changed since 2011. Their notice is nearly up and there is nothing we can do for them.

This family of seven will be homeless and on the streets. We cannot direct them to a temporary emergency accommodation solution as the units are all full. We have a cost-of-living crisis, rising unaffordable rents and landlords selling up and exiting the market. These factors combined are pushing people to their limits. We need an immediate ban on evictions to be introduced while we work through this cost-of-living crisis. I appeal to the Minister of State to personally intervene to ensure emergency spaces are opened and hard-working families are not put on the streets. A ban on evictions is needed immediately but an increase in the social income thresholds is also desperately needed. As it stands, the cut-off point is too low and excludes many of those who need such support.

We are facing a tsunami of evictions in Limerick and it must be stopped. As I said to the Minister of State, I have never seen anything like the current number of notices to quit and nor have any of the services in Limerick. I want to put that on record. The Minister of State should not say he has not been warned about what is happening. The rental crisis is one the Government and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage desperately need to resolve. Failure to do so will leave many families without a home. This is a crisis to add to the twin problems of homelessness and overcrowding. Sinn Féin believes much more can be done. It is time the Government stepped up to ensure increased investment in delivery of affordable and cost-rental houses.

Despite the challenges we are facing in Limerick, I commend the work of the providers of emergency accommodation in the city, including the council's homeless action team, Novas, Focus Ireland, the Simon Community and others that do great work. However, tonight, tomorrow and the day after they face the unenviable task of telling people they have nowhere to put them. They are under huge pressure and do tremendous work but are now limited in what they can do. Just before I finish, I mention in particular a voluntary, community-based organisation in Limerick called Help the Homeless where Jackie Purcell Duhig, Annemarie Sheehan and other volunteers do sterling work. The organisation is really the final front line. It feeds and clothes people in often appalling weather, like we have today.

We need action on notices to quit and an immediate ban on evictions.

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