Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

One of the most depressing aspects of being a Deputy is dealing with the hardship and despair of people suffering from the housing crisis and the fact that they just do not know what to do. This week, I had two families in tears in my clinic. They felt absolutely hopeless owing to the prospect of their being made homeless with their children. They were worrying about the mental health impact on their children, who were on the floor with depression at the prospect of being made homeless. In addition to addressing all the policy issues related to delivering affordable and public housing and stopping evictions, many of which the Government will not address, could the Taoiseach, at a minimum, provide better Government information on what people should do so they will have a place to go? I suggest that we develop a housing hub or portal as part of the GIS. It should be widely advertised on radio and television in order that there would at least be a place for people to get information on what they should do in a crisis and how they should access affordable housing or cost-rental accommodation. It should deal with all the frequently asked questions of people in acute distress because of the housing crisis, giving them a place to go. I will set aside the wider policy debates, which we have had many times. At the very least, the Government could vastly improve the information it makes available to people, particularly those in desperate circumstances.

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