A Laois senator has reportedly seen a rise in the amount of Laois families approaching her on the brink of homelessness.

Sinn Féin Senator Maria McCormack has said that homelessness in Ireland has become 'dangerously normalised' following her recent contribution in the Seanad, where she highlighted the growing crisis nationally and its devastating impact in Laois.

"The sad reality today is that homelessness has become normalised in Ireland. That should shock every single one of us- but instead, people are becoming used to it," the Senator told the Leinster Express / Laois Live in a statement.

Sen McCormack pointed to the stark rise in homelessness over the past decade, with numbers increasing from under 7,000 in 2016 to over 17,300 today.

Pictured: Tents erected at Portlaoise train station in December 2024. 

"During ten years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government, over 55,000 adults have experienced homelessness. These are not just numbers- these are people, families, children," the senator slammed.

The Portlaoise Senator also criticised what she described as a failed housing policy built on underinvestment and missed targets.

"There has been chronic under-delivery of social and affordable homes. Targets are set and missed year after year- and people are paying the price."

Senator McCormack warned that recent rent legislation is now pushing more families towards homelessness.

"In recent weeks, I have seen a surge in people from Laois contacting me after receiving eviction notices. Families are now living with the fear that they could be homeless within months. That is not a coincidence."

The senator said the lack of emergency accommodation locally is forcing families out of their communities.

"Families in Laois are being sent to Carlow and Tipperary, sometimes for a year or more, completely uprooted from their lives- their schools, their doctors, their support networks," she said.

"I am dealing with families who are in tears, trying to keep their children in school while facing being moved miles away. And even this is becoming normalised — people are told ‘that’s just the way it is'".

She is now calling on the Minister for Housing to take urgent action.

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"We need immediate investment in emergency accommodation in Laois so families can stay close to their communities. But more importantly, we need a fundamental shift towards prevention and the delivery of real, affordable homes.

"Because homelessness should never be normal- and I will continue to fight to ensure it isn’t," the senator finished.