The Irish Independent's View: Revelation of emergency housing costs delivers another crushing blow to Government's credibility

Irish Independent

a day ago

When you cut to the chase, it is the taxpayer who pays and pays. If they are lucky, their money is spent efficiently and effectively. If they are not, the pot­ential for indefensible blow-outs is all the greater, and the chance to hold those responsible to account is lost in a perpetual political cycle of deflection and denial.
The revelation that the cumulative costs of housing some families in emergency accommodation adds up to the price of a house is another crushing blow to the Government's credibility on homelessness and the housing crisis.
The idea that it could cost between €140,000 and €180,000 to keep a roof over the head of a family each year seems ludicrous. Many families require such support for two years, according to Dublin Region Homeless Executive.
Figures from the Department of Housing, released last month, revealed 15,580 people were dependent on such support. This was 11pc more than last year, when there were 14,010. The figure of 15,580 marked another bleak record and included 4,775 children.
Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin said the new high was a 'stain on this Government', while Labour's Conor Sheehan said: 'This is no longer a housing crisis – it is a housing disaster, and the Government is responding with inertia.'
Only a radical, pandemic-like response – where obstacles are obliterated by absolute necessity, with cross-party buy-in – will suffice
The massive costs of meeting homeless people's requirements seem to have no boundaries. A total failure to provide the necessary accommodation over decades has forced the State into paying indefensible amounts of money. There is now a perception that the Government is being swamped in a sea of need.
Buddhist nun Pema Chedron once wrote: 'Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.'
But surely there is nothing more to be learnt about the solution to the housing crisis. We do not have enough houses, nor will we unless there is a revolutionary change in approach.
Last month we saw how the national monthly average rent passed €2,000 for the first time. A recent Property Industry Ireland conference was told €140bn in public and private funding is needed to reach the government housing target of 300,000 homes by 2030.
It is time for the Government to create a dynamic where the State and the private sector can act in tandem to mutual benefit. The State has to create the conditions where the finances will be in place to ensure a building programme can be accelerated to bridge the gap between supply and demand.
Only a radical, pandemic-like response – where obstacles are obliterated by absolute necessity, with cross-party buy-in – will suffice. Palming off the burden of responsibility at the expense of the next generation is not an option. We cannot continue to haemorrhage vast sums of taxpayer money for unsustainable short-term 'solutions'.