Focus Ireland Comment On New Daft Report That Shows Rents Rocketing As Supply Plummets

Focus Ireland warned that the nearly 3,000 children who are homeless are becoming the invisible victims of the rental crisis as many have been forced into homelessness due to rising rents or through buy-to-let properties being repossessed.

The charity said the situation is bleak for 1,800 schoolchildren who are homeless as they prepare to return to school while living in emergency accommodation.

Focus Ireland Advocacy Manager Roughan Mac Namara said: “As September approaches up to 1800 children are preparing to return to primary or secondary school and many are from families forced into homelessness by the rental crisis. This situation is really impacting on them as children and on their education. It is fundamentally wrong this is being allowed to happen.”

Focus Ireland said the Government review of Rebuilding Ireland must include immediate action to ease the rental crisis and to get more vacant homes back into the housing stock.

Mr. Mac Namara said: “The review of Rebuilding Ireland must take steps to urgently increase access to housing by encouraging those with empty properties to make them available. This must be a carrot and stick approach such as introducing more incentives for people to rent out empty houses alongside a tax on empty properties in this time of crisis.”

Contact: Roughan MacNamara 086 85 15 117

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