Calls for the Taoiseach to declare housing crisis a state of emergency

Fr Peter McVerry has said the current housing crisis is the responsibility of the Taoiseach.

The founder of the Peter McVerry Trust, which was set up to tackle homelessness, drug misuse and social disadvantage in Dublin, is calling on the Taoiseach to convene an emergency meeting with the relevant agencies to deal with the housing shortage crisis.

Fr McVerry is among speakers at a public conference focused on the housing crisis taking place in Dublin today.

Fr McVerry said the current housing shortage and homelessness issue needs effective political leadership to be solved.

“Ultimately, this problem is a problem for the Taoiseach and he only has a few months left to address this problem before the election,” he said.

“I call on the Taoiseach to declare a state of emergency get all the players around the table, get them all working together and not against one another which is often happening. It is a problem that is beyond crisis at this stage.”