Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Homelessness is a moral stain on our society, of that there is no doubt. I have watched over the past decade as the number of people becoming homeless and entering emergency accommodation has climbed each year and as increasing numbers of people, particularly younger people, beg in the streets. Even older people are not spared the impact of the failed housing policies of successive Governments.

What society can claim to be fair when homelessness within it continues to climb? What Government could possibly hold its head up high as it lifts an eviction ban and security-of-tenure provisions fail to rise to the occasion? Homelessness has gripped far too many people across this country and in my constituency.

During the local election campaign two years ago, I knocked on the door of one house in Terenure. The woman who lived there came to the door. Within minutes, she was in tears. Her young son was inside, and she did not want him to hear her. She had recently been divorced. The court had ordered that house be sold as part of the divorce settlement and she was being evicted with her son as a result. She was working in healthcare at the time and still does so. Today, she shares a one-bedroom apartment with her son. She spends 40% of her income on rent and sleeps on the couch. She emailed me recently and stated that she is extremely worried for her and her child's future. She is merely one bad event or an eviction notice away from devastation.

I was in contact with another mother recently who is in one-room emergency accommodation with her 14-year-old son, who is autistic and who suffers with severe anxiety. Their cramped homeless situation has greatly exacerbated his difficulties. She is terrified of bringing him outside due to his worsening ability to regulate his emotions and behaviours. Their mental health is deteriorating rapidly. She can see no light at the end of the tunnel.

The third case I wish to highlight is that of a young woman in Rathmines and her mother, who was recently diagnosed with cancer and who has a number of other serious conditions, including mobility issues, for whom she cares. The young woman in question contacted me in desperation when she was served an eviction notice. Her mother's health condition, as well as some historical financial difficulties and her father's recent passing, have made it impossible for them to find alternative accommodation. She is wondering how she can present to homeless services with her mother, who, as stated, has significant mobility issues. She is at her wit's end.

These are real people with real stories. Theirs are real tragedies brought about by Government policies that seem to try and paper over a gaping wound in Irish society. While the support emergency accommodation is a lifeline for so many, it was always meant to be temporary. The seemingly permanent nature of the Government's approach to emergency accommodation, HAP and evictions only edifies the argument that it is a Government for the rich that operates at the expense of everyone else.

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