George Lawlor: 15,000 in emergency accommodation a 'figure of shame'
George Lawlor addressed the Dáil on the housing crisis, condemning the Government's reliance on the private market and calling the figure of 15,000 people in emergency accommodation a 'figure of shame.' He argued that low income thresholds exclude families from housing lists, pushing them into the private rental market with rising rents and no security of tenure.
The Dáil was told that 15,000 citizens are in emergency accommodation, a figure the speaker described as a stain on the State and a national shame. He said the number reflects a failure to break from private-market dominance in housing provision and a broader social crisis.
He highlighted long waits for local authority housing by families, single people and elderly applicants, and criticised income thresholds that exclude those in need. Using his county of Wexford as an example, he noted that a household of two adults and two children with a combined income above €38,500 can be removed from or refused entry to housing lists, leaving them with no support.
The speaker argued that the Government has allowed private investors to treat housing as a commodity and to lead the provision of homes. He warned that rising rents and plans to remove tenant protections are driving low-income families into deeper insecurity and that the market will prioritise its own interests over social need.
He endorsed an active state approach proposed by the Labour Party as the only mechanism capable of delivering the volume of homes needed to address the crisis. He concluded by commending the motion to the House and urging the Minister to stop penalising hard-working families and forcing them into poverty.
Emergency accommodation numbers
The Dáil was told that 15,000 citizens are in emergency accommodation, a figure the speaker described as a stain on the State and a national shame. He said the number reflects a failure to break from private-market dominance in housing provision and a broader social crisis.
Housing lists and income thresholds
He highlighted long waits for local authority housing by families, single people and elderly applicants, and criticised income thresholds that exclude those in need. Using his county of Wexford as an example, he noted that a household of two adults and two children with a combined income above €38,500 can be removed from or refused entry to housing lists, leaving them with no support.
Private rental market and protections
The speaker argued that the Government has allowed private investors to treat housing as a commodity and to lead the provision of homes. He warned that rising rents and plans to remove tenant protections are driving low-income families into deeper insecurity and that the market will prioritise its own interests over social need.
Active state solution and motion
He endorsed an active state approach proposed by the Labour Party as the only mechanism capable of delivering the volume of homes needed to address the crisis. He concluded by commending the motion to the House and urging the Minister to stop penalising hard-working families and forcing them into poverty.
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Transcript
Minister, this motion brings together many of the key elements of what we believe can form the basis of a response to the greatest social crisis this country has faced since the foundation of the State. And while we have come a long way since this State was founded, the housing crisis shrouds everything we do. It is a stain on all our political characters and that of the many who have graced this chamber before us. The figure of 15,000 of our citizens in emergency accommodation is a figure of shame. A figure of shame created by this Government's refusal to break from the shackles of the private market who are being allowed to lead the way when it comes to the provision of housing. When I say the provision of housing, I speak about the provision of what this Government and the private investors see as the provision of a commodity. Along with the 15,000 in emergency accommodation, we also have those who are languishing on our local authority housing lists. We have families, single people and indeed elderly people on our housing lists and they invariably sit on those lists for years before they might be allocated a new home. Years and years of waiting and paying high rents. Rents that will only get higher as this Government prepares to rid these families of any protections. And yet, despite this, those on our housing lists, despite the years of waiting and paying high rents, can be deemed to be extremely lucky. Those who are unlucky, those with little or no hope of security of tenure, those who are completely abandoned are the hard-working, low-income families excluded from our housing lists with absolutely no support or assistance because of their ridiculously low-income thresholds, which disqualifies them from getting on the housing lists. As an example, for a County like my own of Wexford, if the total household income for two adults and two children exceeds €38,500, that family is either removed from the housing list or indeed their application refused on the basis that their earnings are too high. And what is their only option? Their only option is the private rental market, paying thousands in rent with absolutely no support and indeed no hope of change as they also have no chance of securing a mortgage to get rid of the rental shackles. As if their household income wasn't low enough, these ridiculously low thresholds are condemning hard-working families to a life of stress and penury as they battle to keep up with the rent and keep a roof over their heads. For those just under or near the threshold, there is no incentive to improve their lot for fear that a promotion in work or a bit of overtime would push them off the housing list. There simply has to be a better way to assess people's housing needs. But for God's sake Minister, stop penalising hard-working families and forcing them into poverty. It's clear that the active state approach proposed by the Labour Party is the only mechanism that will deliver the volume of homes required to eradicate the numerous obstacles that are sustaining this crisis. The market will do what the market does, serve and protect itself. There is of course a place for the private sector in the provision of housing, but that place is not in the driving seat. I commend this motion to the House.