Louth's O Murchú says housing problem ‘continues to get worse'

The housing problem “continues to get worse” in 2025, with new figures showing an increase in the numbers of people homeless in County Louth, along with a “massive increase” in house prices locally, according to Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú.

The Dundalk deputy pointed to homelessness figures from November, which were released last Friday, that show 242 people accessed homeless services in Louth in the second last month of 2024, up from 235 in October.

In addition, a report released in the New Year from property website Daft.ie showed that the increase in house prices in Louth in the last quarter of 2024 was, at 12.6% higher than a year previously, the second highest increase in prices in the State. The average price of a home in Louth is now €298,000, 40% above the level seen at the start of the covid19 pandemic, with the median price of a newly built home in Louth from January to September 2024 standing at €375,000.

Deputy Ó Murchú said both reports show how 2024 was “not the turning point in the housing crisis that the government wanted people to believe”, but rather “the crisis has gone from bad to worse”. He said the 15,199 people who were homeless in November of 2024 were “a grim and damning indictment of the government’s housing policy”.

The Sinn Féin TD said: “Louth has seen double digit house price growth, which is locking more and more workers and families out of the opportunity of ever owning their own homes. Rents are increasing and the availability of houses to buy or rent in Louth means it’s getting harder and harder for companies and the public sector to attract and retain workers.”

Deputy Ó Murchú continued: “The social and affordable housing targets in the government’s plan were always too low, and the affordable scheme launched in Blackrock at the start of last year was riddled with problems meaning that only five people actually got through to getting a home, with the other five houses going back to the private market.

“The government has missed these targets every year and are likely to miss them again when we see the final figures for 2024. Only a dramatic increase in investment in and delivery of social and affordable housing will address housing need.

“Whoever is in government needs to get to grips with this reality otherwise we will have continued failure. Sinn Féin will continue to make the case for a radical reset of housing policy this year as set out in our alternative housing plan, A Home of Your Own.”