Paul Murphy warns housing policies deepen homelessness crisis
Paul Murphy spoke in the Dáil about the state of housing and homelessness, sharply criticising current government policy and the absence of clear targets. He said 16,000 people are living in emergency accommodation, including over 5,000 children, and warned that recent measures are piecemeal and risk making the crisis worse.
The Simon community attended the Dáil to highlight what Murphy described as the devastation inflicted by current housing policy - drawing attention to thousands of families and a high level of emergency accommodation usage.
Murphy cited official figures that 16,000 people are in emergency accommodation, including more than 5,000 children, and criticised the lack of specific measures in Housing for All to end child homelessness - arguing there are no targets or strategies to eliminate children growing up homeless.
He accused the government of pursuing piecemeal policies that will worsen the crisis - naming cuts to funding for tenant in situ and the gutting of rent pressure zones as examples - and warned that three in five young people are considering emigration as a result.
Murphy acknowledged the government and local authorities have taken action to prevent or exit some families from homelessness, noting 8,000 families were prevented from entering homelessness or exited temporary accommodation. He also recorded that the minister is preparing the next phase of Housing for All and that further funding has been made available to focus on families at risk.
Murphy rejected being lectured on parliamentary procedure, reminding colleagues that a motion passed in the Dáil does not automatically bind the government to implement every element. He said the budget and the next phase of Housing for All will be key areas of focus going forward.
Simon community in the Dáil
The Simon community attended the Dáil to highlight what Murphy described as the devastation inflicted by current housing policy - drawing attention to thousands of families and a high level of emergency accommodation usage.
Scale of homelessness and children affected
Murphy cited official figures that 16,000 people are in emergency accommodation, including more than 5,000 children, and criticised the lack of specific measures in Housing for All to end child homelessness - arguing there are no targets or strategies to eliminate children growing up homeless.
Critique of recent policy changes
He accused the government of pursuing piecemeal policies that will worsen the crisis - naming cuts to funding for tenant in situ and the gutting of rent pressure zones as examples - and warned that three in five young people are considering emigration as a result.
Government actions and planned responses
Murphy acknowledged the government and local authorities have taken action to prevent or exit some families from homelessness, noting 8,000 families were prevented from entering homelessness or exited temporary accommodation. He also recorded that the minister is preparing the next phase of Housing for All and that further funding has been made available to focus on families at risk.
Parliamentary procedure and next priorities
Murphy rejected being lectured on parliamentary procedure, reminding colleagues that a motion passed in the Dáil does not automatically bind the government to implement every element. He said the budget and the next phase of Housing for All will be key areas of focus going forward.
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Transcript
The Simon community is in the Dáil today to highlight the devastation that your housing policy is inflicting on thousands of families in this country. There are 16,000 living in emergency accommodation, including over 5,000 children, but no mention of children in housing for all, no sign of any new housing plan, no targets, no strategies for ending homelessness, no targets in terms of when there will be no more children growing up in homelessness. Instead, piecemeal policies that are going to make the housing crisis even worse, slashing funding for tenant in situ, gutting the rent pressure zones. No wonder three in five young people are thinking of emigrating. Can you offer them any hope that things are going to get better with your government? I do not need to be lectured by you on points of procedure on how this parliament works. I was making the point that just because a motion is passed here in the Dáil does not mean the government is bound to implement every element of it. We know that. In relation to housing for all, the government and Minister Brown is at the heart of this, is preparing the next phase of our housing strategy in housing for all. In relation to the action that has been taken, we know already in recent weeks and months that, due to the efforts of government and local authorities, that 8,000 families have either been prevented from going into homelessness or have been exited from temporary accommodation. But we know that more needs to be done. We know that too many families are still experiencing the risk of poverty, of homelessness and too many children are still sleeping in conditions that the government wants to be otherwise. When we bring forward, not only the budget, but then housing for all, that will be a key area of focus for us. In the last number of weeks, the government made further funding available to, in particular, focus on families who are at risk of being homeless, to give them more permanent measures to avoid that trauma. Thank you. Definitely go over to you.