Enda Kenny rules out increases to rent aid, says 17,000 social housing units will be built this year

The Government has ruled out increasing rent supplements as a way of easing the homelessness crisis, as the body overseeing efforts to combat the problem in Dublin urged families to explore options other than waiting for social housing.

The crisis was uppermost in the Dail yesterday in the wake of the RTÉ programme, My Homeless Family, screened on Monday and depicting the reality of life in emergency accommodation as faced by families effectively priced out of the rental market.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) said the problem of families becoming homeless had “stabilised” somewhat and its chief executive, Cathal Morgan, called on the public to get behind the construction and delivery of modular housing units.