Rebuilding Ireland scheme is not fit for purpose, declares former Minister as record number homeless
Former Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Labour TD Jan O’Sullivan says that Rebuilding Ireland is not fit for purpose and she is calling on the Government to admits its housing policy is failing.
Instead, the Government should take an approach to keep people in their homes, she told RTE radio’s .
“They need to ensure that people cannot be thrown out of their homes,” Deputy O'Sullivan said.
She made the comments as the number of people homeless has exceeded 10,000 for the first time as a new report shows a year-on-year rise in rents.
Department of Housing figures for February show 10,264 adults and children without a home, staying in emergency accommodation, up from 9,987 in January.
After three years and with record levels of people homeless, that surely is an indication of the failure of Rebuilding Ireland, she added.
Eoghan Murphy is the Minister and he needs to change things, said Ms O’Sullivan.
“There is plenty of public land social housing could be built on.”
Funding could be available through the Rainy Day Fund and the Government could borrow from the European Investment Bank.
There are ways money can be found. We need to see greater determination from the Government. There have to be better ways to do it.
As more and more Irish people rely on the rental sector it is important to keep them in their homes, she said.
“There is a need to stop evictions for spurious reasons.”
Deputy O'Sullivan's comments come as a homelessness charity says it expects 15,000 to be homeless by the end of the year.
CEO of Inner City Helping Homeless Anthony Flynn says the latest figure of 10,264 people living in emergency accommodation is unacceptable.
He says there isn't a quick enough reaction to the number of people entering homeless services.
