Dublin South West Sinn Féin TD, Seán Crowe has described a 39% increase in the numbers of children and families homeless deemed homeless as unacceptable, extremely disturbing another indication that the Governments response to the Homeless crisis is not working

The statistics released by the Dublin Simon Community has the total homeless population in the region currently at 4,962 which includes 998 families and 2012 children

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“ It is unacceptable country that children are being reared in unsuitable and overcrowded hotel rooms and that many more individuals are being forced to sleep in cars or on the streets.

“ Dublin Simon’s figure clearly show that the homeless crisis is clearly getting worse while the Government remains unwilling or incapable of resolving the crisis.

This latest report highlights the failure and lack of any urgency in the Government’s housing policy.

“There has been a 65% increase in the number of homeless families presenting in Dublin in the last 12 months and every indicator suggests that crisis is set to deepen in the coming months. This rise has to be halted and realistic proposals agreed and acted on.

“ Sinn Féin have proposed effective solutions to alleviate the homeless crisis, including the building of 100,000 new social and affordable homes, measures that ensure 20% of social and affordable housing on all new developments and the making an extra €30 million available for emergency housing.

“We clearly need all politicians to get on board and to work to eliminate this crisis. We need action to solve the problem, not meaningless gestures or empty rhetoric.

“While Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and many of the ‘Enda –pendents’ are fighting tooth and nail to ensure that Apple do not pay € 13 billion in taxes that they supposedly owe, very little action has been taken to resolve the ongoing homeless crisis and which has been allowed to get worse and worse, month after the month as the statistics show.

“Just imagine the extra resources and the new homes that could be built if Ireland accepted the EU’s ruling requiring Apple to pay its legitimate and fair share of tax.

“In the coming weeks the Governments budget proposals are due to be released. Housing and homelessness and measures that will address the crisis need to be at the forefront of this years budget. Unfortunately and unless urgent attention is taken every indicator suggests that the homeless and housing situation will only get worse.”