The Government’s housing schemes are ineffective and have left people “trapped in a rental casino”, the Dáil has heard.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik said that average house prices were “a whopping” 35 per cent more expensive nationally than they were at the start of the pandemic and that owning a home was “getting further and further out of reach for far too many people”.
Speaking during Leaders’ Questions, she said Threshold’s annual tenants survey shows that “a staggering 94 per cent of renters are not renting by choice, they’re renting because they have no other option and they are trapped in a rental casino”.
She said “weak” rights make them vulnerable to being evicted and that people struggle to cover basic costs after paying their rent.
“What is a person supposed to do today when trying to find a roof over their heads in the worst housing crisis in the history of this state?” Ms Bacik asked.
“Mortgage is out of reach for countless people, particularly for those who are single, for those who are living in cities.”
She said there are schemes in place, but most of them are “so bureaucratic they are impossible to access” and do not reflect the level of need.
She accused the Government of treating housing “as a market commodity and not as a common good”.
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said that around 500 individuals or couples are buying their first home every week.
“No option is off the table when it comes to housing. We’re always in the business of looking for more ideas, more novel approaches, more innovative ways of continuing to increase housing supply,” she said.
She added they believe their “suite” of housing supports are working, with Ms Bacik replying that the schemes are “just not working”.
