Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government party leaders met with senior Ministers early this week on the escalating crisis in emergency housing provision, which has been deepened by the war in Ukraine, but the truth is that it has been years in the making and a result of successive governments turning their face or not supporting public housing provided directly by the State. In the past 12 months, child homelessness in Cork and Kerry has risen by an unbelievable 40%. The blame for this solely lies with the Government’s failed housing policies over the past six years where Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been together. The Government has completely failed to get a grip on the issue and the reality now is social housing is no longer a safety net. The housing assistance payment, HAP, has done nothing but push up the price of houses. The Government has no real plan to tackle the crisis. Will the Taoiseach give us any detail on emergency accommodation that will be rolled out in Cork, because the crisis is getting much worse and families and individuals are struggling as they enter homelessness?

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