Irish Examiner View: Effective policies urgently needed

We cannot ignore the housing crisis. 

We are not building enough houses to meet demand. File picture: Howard Crowdy

WHILE we continue to be consumed by one, hopefully short or mid-term difficulty, we may be ignoring at our peril a growing long-term crisis within our midst. 

The shortage of affordable homes has not gone away and, judging by a new report, it never will unless drastic steps are taken. An analysis of the home building market here shows that up to 36,000 new homes will be required each year over the next 20 years to meet demand. However, we are currently building less than half of that.