Charles Ward: 7,000 Evictions and a Housing Emergency
Charles Ward details the scale of the eviction crisis in the first quarter of the year and warns it will worsen without urgent action. He says 7,000 households received eviction notices in three months and calls on the government to introduce emergency legislation to prevent a rise in homelessness.
Charles Ward sets out the core figures and the immediate risk: 7,000 eviction notices issued in the first three months of this year and a likely rise to 10,000 if nothing changes. He accuses Ministers of introducing rental laws in March that, in practice, push landlords out of the market and worsen the shortage of homes for renters.
Ward highlights Donegal as an example of the problem, where a defective concrete crisis is forcing families to rebuild while rental supply is vanishing. He notes there are only 35 rental properties currently advertised in Donegal, with an average rent around 1,600 euros, leaving displaced families with nowhere to go.
The speech criticises the government for failing to protect tenants and for playing politics while homelessness becomes more common. Ward warns that the housing shortage will normalise homelessness unless emergency legislation is introduced to stabilise the rental market and protect vulnerable households.
Charles Ward closes by urging the Minister to take control and introduce emergency measures now, arguing that delay will only make intervention more painful and inevitable later. He frames the situation as an emergency that cannot be ignored by those in charge.
Immediate facts and demand
Charles Ward sets out the core figures and the immediate risk: 7,000 eviction notices issued in the first three months of this year and a likely rise to 10,000 if nothing changes. He accuses Ministers of introducing rental laws in March that, in practice, push landlords out of the market and worsen the shortage of homes for renters.
Local pressure in Donegal
Ward highlights Donegal as an example of the problem, where a defective concrete crisis is forcing families to rebuild while rental supply is vanishing. He notes there are only 35 rental properties currently advertised in Donegal, with an average rent around 1,600 euros, leaving displaced families with nowhere to go.
Policy critique and consequences
The speech criticises the government for failing to protect tenants and for playing politics while homelessness becomes more common. Ward warns that the housing shortage will normalise homelessness unless emergency legislation is introduced to stabilise the rental market and protect vulnerable households.
Urgent call to act
Charles Ward closes by urging the Minister to take control and introduce emergency measures now, arguing that delay will only make intervention more painful and inevitable later. He frames the situation as an emergency that cannot be ignored by those in charge.
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Transcript
The fact is, 7,000 households across the country have been given an eviction notice in the first three months of this year. It's terrifying. And where they're going to go, we don't know. Behind every eviction is a person, a family, who's seriously at risk of homelessness because there's simply not enough houses out there for them. And there's already a severe shortage, and the more pressure that's put on landlords to leave the market, they are leaving the market and it's going to become unbearable. And we shouldn't be surprised, Minister, because you have been told time and time again, but instead of protecting tenants, the new rental laws introduced in March ultimately hurt them in the long run. And people are already stretched at breaking point. For every young person I talk to, they say ownership feels alien to them. They're not going to be able to own homes. An entire generation is reliant on rentals, and now they're facing the situation where eviction will become reality. And the situation in Donegal has gotten beyond desperate. We already have a defective concrete crisis in Donegal, where we're trying to get tens of thousands of people to rebuild their homes. When they're speaking today, there's 35 rental properties in Donegal for rent, on average 1,600 euros. So if we get 100 people going tomorrow, their families moving forward in the defective concrete crisis, where are they going to rent? On top of what's coming ahead, there's nowhere. The scheme goes to a halt. Homelessness becomes normalised. And that's what's happened. We're facing homelessness on an unprecedented scale. And it has to be addressed as an emergency. It has to be looked at as an emergency. And we need to stop playing political games with it, and realise that in the next year or so, 7,000 will become 10,000. And that's the reality. And my constituents in Donegal are facing this every single day. When you are looking at filling a scheme and going forward with your family, one or two hundred people go forward. Where are they going to go? There's nowhere for them to rent. There's nowhere for them to go. So they have to stay in their houses that are crumbling. And we've been saying this time and time again, and it has to be listened to. You need to put emergency legislation in place. Minister, it's clear that you need to introduce this. Because if you don't introduce it now, you're going to be introducing it within the next year or two anyway. Take control of the situation. You're the government, you're in charge. We need you to stand up and be counted.