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Minister O’Brien stated in a press release following the announcement of Budget 2025, ‘‘This budget, like the four which came before it, is unprecedented with €6bn in capital to help us deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes for our people. It’s the most any Government has ever invested in housing’’.[1]
This announcement on Tuesday 1st October 2024 was very similar to previous budgets regarding addressing the housing needs of low-income households. This is incomprehensible given the wealth of knowledge at the Government’s disposal on the effects of housing insecurity and the solutions required to address it.
While the level of funding has increased substantially in Budget 2025, it remains too low. Under the Government’s housing plan, Housing for All, the objective is that ‘‘every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and in the right place, offering a high quality of life’’.[2] For the households that SVP members visit, this is far from their reality. Instead, members witness the daily stress and often a sense of despair and hopelessness for the families and individuals dealing with the effects of homelessness, poor living standards and housing insecurity.
Social housing gives people the foundation to build a good life and is a key component to the common good of society. Budget 2025 committed to the construction of 10,000 social homes. This is the same commitment outlined in Housing for All, however, the housing and homeless crisis has deteriorated further since its establishment in 2021; at the very least households needed the Government to acknowledge this, and act accordingly by increasing the output of social homes.
The latest figures from the Department of Housing show that there are 14, 486 people experiencing homelessness and living in emergency accommodation.[3] In 12 months alone, the data shows an increase of 1,795 people in emergency accommodation.[4] Family homelessness has increased by 109% since Housing for All was first introduced.[5]
SVP recommended that 15,000 social homes and 5,000 cost-rental homes should be built with a vision that by 2030, 20% of housing stock should be social homes in line with the recommendation from the Housing Commission earlier this year.
SVP recommended that a child support worker should be available to children experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness to support them through the challenges and trauma that homelessness entails. This would not have cost the State a significant amount of money but does have a real chance of mitigating some of the effects an experience of homelessness can have on a child. The long-term impacts of the trauma of homelessness should not be underestimated; low self-esteem, lack of sleep due to overcrowding, missing developmental milestones and falling behind in school. These are just some of the issues SVP members encounter when supporting families in homelessness. While the best solution is to prevent children from the harm of homelessness in the first place, the current reality is there is a clear need for a child support worker to give them the help and support they need while in emergency accommodation. It is disappointing that no funding was secured in the budget for this proposal.
Year on year SVP has seen the ongoing impact of the housing crisis on individuals and families; those in emergency accommodation, families doubling up and living in overcrowded housing, couch surfing and those living in sub-standard and poor quality housing. We may have received record levels of investment in Budget 2025, however, if we do not have the ambition to achieve a record number of built social and affordable homes, we won’t turn the tide on the housing and homeless crisis.
[1] Gov.ie Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage 01 October 2024 Press Release ‘‘Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage budget package of almost €8bn announced’’ gov.ie - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage budget package of almost €8bn announced (www.gov.ie)
[2] Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage 2021 ‘‘Housing for All-a New Housing Plan for Ireland’’ gov.ie - Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland (www.gov.ie)
[3] Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage September 24 Homelessness Data gov.ie - Homelessness data (www.gov.ie)
[4] ibid
[5] Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Local Authority Regional Performance Reports gov.ie - Homelessness data (www.gov.ie)
