Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)

On behalf of the 100% Redress Party I voice my strong support for the Raise the Roof campaign. We need to call the housing and homelessness crisis what it is; a national emergency. This is a national emergency and requires a national emergency response. This crisis has been going on for over a decade. Over ten years there has been a lack of housing, rising rents, crumbling homes and increased homelessness. House prices have risen by more than 130% in this time and rents have risen by more than 80%. We have seen record-breaking homelessness month after month. What kind of country do we live in when tens of thousands of people living here do not have a place to sleep at night or call their home? It is an absolute disgrace.

More than 4,500 children are living in emergency accommodation right now as we speak. Thousands of children across the country are growing up and spending their early and most formative years in hotel rooms and crowded living areas. Many of these children do not have access to a proper nutritional diet or a proper space to play. How can they be expected to grow and develop in these conditions? How do we hope to give them a fulfilling childhood when they are stuck in hotel rooms from age five to age 13? According to the 2022 census, the largest age group amongst the homeless population was infants to four-year-olds. That is 11.4% of the total homeless population. This is devastating and contradicts what many of us think homelessness looks like and who it impacts. Homelessness has been shown to have a negative effect on children's development, their participation in education and their run in life as they grow older. The number of children impacted is rising every year, along with the number of people experiencing homelessness. Many families have been impacted due to the defective concrete crisis. It is clear from these figures the Government is failing. The only time in the past decade we saw a drop in the monthly homelessness figures was during the Covid lockdown measures. The Government needs to change tack and take action. We need an emergency Covid-level response and intervention in this crisis and we need it now.

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