Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A few weeks ago, a young family in Dublin saw their lives unravel. They were renters living with their two small children and like anyone else, they just want a secure home for their kids to grow up in and to build their lives as a family. Their nightmare began when they were evicted. Their lives were turned upside down. They now sleep in emergency accommodation. It is hard to imagine the trauma for this young family and their two small children. It is hard to imagine how to even begin to explain to a child why they are being uprooted from their home and placed in emergency accommodation with their parents unable to answer their questions about what will happen next because they, themselves, do not know.

Another family in Bray are also homeless. The mother, Lauren, is a nurse. She now lives in a car because she cannot find anywhere remotely affordable to rent. She has had to send her two children to live with relatives because she cannot find a home for them. Can the Taoiseach imagine how heartbroken that mother felt as she was forced to make that decision and how confused the children must be? These families' experiences are not unique; in fact, they are, sadly, all to common in modern Ireland because of Government's failure to get to grips with the housing crisis.

Figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage last Friday revealed that 12,259 people in the State now live in emergency accommodation, a new record on the Taoiseach's watch. It is a staggering figure and a figure that should never be normalised. It includes 3,594 children living in emergency accommodation. Let me say that again. As we speak, there are 3,594 children in emergency accommodation in this State. Of course, we know the real homeless figure is much higher as these numbers do not include people sleeping on sofas, in family spare rooms or, indeed, in their cars.

Children are being uprooted from their schools and uprooted from their routine. They are wondering why they can no longer play with friends in their neighbourhood. Tá na mílte páiste ag fulaingt ó thráma na heaspa dídine, an saol acu millte agus iompaithe bun os cionn toisc nach bhfuil áit acu gur féidir a dteach féin a thabhairt air. Tá sé seo ag tarlú ag ráta níos airde agus leanfaidh sé ag méadú faoin Rialtas mar níl an Rialtas ag dul i ngleic leis an ngéarchéim thithíochta.

Homelessness is increasing. The Government decided to end the eviction ban without a safety net in place to protect renters. It was warned time and again that this was a bad decision, but despite this, it went ahead with it. It rejected Sinn Féin's plan to extend the eviction ban and put in place protections for renters. The sad reality now is that, despite how shocking the current figures are, we are not even at the peak yet. There is now a real risk that hundreds more children and their families will add to these heartbreaking figures in the course of the summer. What interventions is the Government making today, tomorrow and next week to prevent more children becoming homeless?

See this speech in context