Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

If you were to believe everything you see in the media, you would almost think this country was a doughnut, in many respects, but I am here to reassure the Minister of State it is not. The midlands is experiencing the housing crisis as deeply as all the cities. How does the Minister of State intend to deal specifically with rural Ireland when it comes to the additional challenges of homelessness it faces? Local authorities are simply unable to cope with the level of demand coming into them. One of my local authorities has stated that along with many other local authorities, it does not have the capacity to meet the current demand with regard to clients presenting as homeless.

That is one of my local authorities. I am blessed to have two. The other has been telling people since last summer, before the introduction of the eviction ban, that if they leave their home - their rented accommodation - on the final date of their notice to quit, they will be refused emergency accommodation and homeless supports because they will be deemed to have made themselves homeless. These are all contributing factors as to why in my town today there is a five-week-old baby who was born into homelessness by caesarean section. The baby and her parents were sleeping in a car up until a few evenings ago when a charity unrelated to housing started paying for a couple of nights in bed and breakfast accommodation.

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