06/16/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/16/2025 09:48
Labour's Housing Spokesperson Conor Sheehan TD is calling on all who can to join the Raise the Roof rally outside Leinster House tomorrow, Tuesday 17th June at 6pm, to send a clear message to the Government that it is time to end Ireland's housing crisis once and for all.
Deputy Sheehan said:
"For over a decade, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have promised to tackle the housing crisis and time and again they have failed to deliver. Week after week, new reports and solutions come forward but they fall on deaf ears. Meanwhile, rents spiral, homelessness rises, and a whole generation is locked out of secure, affordable homes.
"It's time to put it up to this Government. We in Labour are urging everyone who can to join us tomorrow evening to Raise the Roof. We need a radical reset on housing policy, not more empty promises.
"Labour firmly believes that the State must be the lead provider of housing. We must see the Government scale up its efforts under Housing for All, with particular focus on the cost rental model that offers people fair rents and security.
"The housing crisis is the crisis of this generation. How many more reports need to land on Ministerial desks before they treat this issue with the urgency it demands? Government has allowed an entire generation to be priced out of home ownership and forced into paying ever-increasing rents, while thousands remain trapped in homelessness.
"The most glaring example of inequality in Ireland today is the housing and homelessness crisis. It is an absolute scandal that in a wealthy country like ours, more than 15,000 people are without a place to call home. This is indefensible.
"Housing is the political issue of our time. It affects every family, every community and every generation. We see young people giving up on ever owning a home, families forced to move far from where they grew up, and rents climbing higher every month. Meanwhile, all the indicators show that Housing for All is failing fast.
"That is why tomorrow's Raise the Roof rally matters. It is time to show this Government that people have had enough of waiting and worrying. The public wants action, not more reports gathering dust.
"I am calling on everyone who can to come and stand shoulder to shoulder with Labour Party members, other opposition parties, trade unions and community organisations at the Raise the Roof rally outside Leinster House tomorrow at 6pm. Together, we can send the strongest possible message to Government that the time for tinkering is over - it's time for a radical reset on housing."