Homelessness on the rise: A national shame

July 19 last marked the third anniversary of Rebuilding Ireland, the Government programme designed to solve the housing and homelessness crises.

Since then, the number of people who are homeless has risen by one third. The conclusion can only be that the programme is an unmitigated disaster.

The overall thrust of the programme seems to rely, to a large extent, on the private sector delivering housing. But the business of business is to make money.

The business of government is not to make money, but to provide welfare for citizens, including a home for the most vulnerable among us.

While Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy survived a vote of no-confidence in the Dáil, his policies go nowhere nearto solving the housing crisis.

Nowhere near enough housing units are being built to meet the needs of people and families who are desperately waiting on a place to call home.

There are now a record 10,514 people homeless in Ireland, including 3,800 children. That is not just a statistic; it is a national shame.