Longford Westmeath TD calls for election as homelessness reaches "a new record high"

A Longford Westmeath elected representative is calling for an election because of the failure by the government to address the needs of adults accessing local authority managed emergency accommodation.

Homelessness in the Midlands, including Longford, Westmeath, Offaly and Laois, saw 164 adults accessing local authority emergency accommodation in February. This figure includes 18 people in Longford and 62 people in Westmeath.

“We need a general election now as homelessness in Dublin surpasses 10,000 for the first time,” Sinn Féin TD Sorca Clarke said, adding that Longford-Westmeath homelessness underlines the need for a general election.

The Department of Housing homelessness report for February shows increases across all categories of homelessness.

“This week’s homelessness report shows that homelessness has reached a new record high of 13,841 people across the State, including 4,170 children,” Deputy Clarke said, “All categories including single people, families and pensioners have seen increases.”

Sinn Féin TD was critical of government inaction: “The Department of Housing has also released figures confirming the Government missed the new build social housing targets for 2023 and all of their affordable housing scheme targets.

“Homelessness is rising because the Government's social and affordable housing targets are too low and are being missed every single year.

Deputy Clarke laid the blame at the feet of the coalition: “This Government is not capable of solving this crisis. The longer they are in Government the worse the housing crisis is going to get. People in Longford- Westmeath deserve so much better than this.

“How high will Simon Harris allow homelessness numbers to rise before he accepts this fact?

“A Sinn Féin government with Eoin Ó Broin as Minister for Housing would deliver the volume of social and affordable homes needed to tackle this escalating crisis,” she concluded.