'It's getting worse, it's festering' Portlaoise councillor hits out as Laois homeless figures rise

A Portlaoise councillor has slammed the rise in homeless figures in Laois as "failing a generation".

Cllr Marie Tuohy is inviting Minister for Housing James Brown to come to Laois County Council and explain how he will fix the "festering" and "chronic housing shortage".

Latest figures show 52 adults and children in emergency accommodation in Laois, up 60% from the same time in 2024, according to the Department of Housing. That includes nine families, and 33 single people.

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Cllr Tuohy who represents Portlaoise Municipal District, wants answers, tabling her motion to the April council meeting.

"Housing remains the single biggest issue. It is far more than bricks and mortar. We're losing frontline staff, nurses and doctors, a whole generation really. 

"I'm not a critic of our own housing department, they are doing their best with limited resources. I commend our CEO, in his previous role as our housing officer he was dynamic and proactive. I can't say the same for the Government. They have gotten off to a shocking bad start. They are all over the shop, floundering and failing a generation, who are hitting the road to Australia.

"We are not able to retain our Gardaí, our teachers, our nurses. The latest homeless figures showed 15,418 in emergency accommodation in March including 4,675 children. The Minister is talking like it's a new problem but it isn't. Ten years ago Leo said housing was a national emergency. It's systemic, it's getting worse, it's festering.

"We need to go back to what the Labour Government did in the 60s and 70s, build houses. They were buildng communities, it seemed to work," the Labour councillor said.

The motion was seconded by Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley who is urging the council to build quality affordable homes to sell.

"It's no bad reflection on Laois County Council, they have actually been very good at bringing stock on stream. We're embarrassing other counties. The more we build the more we need. But nationally the picture is very poor, it's very sad. 

"We can't just build a society with social housing only, we need affordable houses. Last year a new build in Kilminchy was €350,000. Recent ones were €500,000, there is absolutely no hope for a young couple. We all know people in their thirties at home in good jobs who will never be able to afford a house," Cllr Dwane Stanley said.

In Laois during March, 20 single people and six families arrived to county hall to say they were homeless. The council put ten of the individuals into emergency accommodation, but none of the families met their criteria.

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Four families were prevented from going into homelessness. The council has bought and is buying a total of seven houses, under the Tenant in Situ scheme, to allow tenants to stay in their rented homes that their landlords had put up for sale. 

There are 1,596 individuals and families on Laois County Council's housing waiting list. 40% are in rental accommodation and getting Housing Assistance Payment towards rent. 

There are 261 social houses under construction in Laois and another 232 at planning stage. The council is exceeding its housing targets.