Speaking after the Raise the Roof rally held in Waterford over the weekend, Sinn Féin TD for Waterford, Conor D. McGuinness, has said that the government’s forthcoming housing plan must prioritise ending homelessness by 2030 — and that real delivery requires proper resourcing of local authorities and urgent investment in infrastructure across both urban and rural communities.
Deputy McGuinness said:
“The latest Department of Housing figures are yet another grim reminder of the scale of the housing crisis. Over 16,600 people — including more than 5,000 children — were in emergency accommodation in September. When rough sleepers and those in hidden homelessness are added in, the true figure is closer to 22,000. These are not statistics; they represent families, children, and older people with nowhere secure to call home.”
“The government is preparing to publish a new housing plan in the coming weeks. If it is to mean anything, it must set out a credible path to end long-term homelessness by 2030. That means sharply increasing the delivery of genuinely affordable and social homes, setting binding annual targets, and properly funding local authorities to deliver. Anything less would be a continuation of the same failed policies that have driven this crisis.”
The Waterford TD said that years of government underfunding and neglect have left local authorities unable to meet the scale of local housing need.
“In Waterford, the lack of delivery is plain to see — from stalled projects in Dungarvan and Ardmore to the infrastructure bottlenecks holding back development in places like Lismore and Bonmahon. Councils cannot build homes without proper investment in water, wastewater, and community infrastructure. Uisce Éireann and central government have to step up. The will is there locally; it’s the resources and political backing that are missing.”
Deputy McGuinness also highlighted the particular challenges facing rural and Gaeltacht communities:
“In rural Waterford and the Déise Gaeltacht, the shortage of affordable and social housing is accelerating depopulation and undermining community life. Young people are being forced to move away because they can’t find a place to live. A credible housing plan must treat rural and Gaeltacht areas as a priority, not an afterthought. These are living communities — they deserve to have a future.”
He concluded:
“The government can no longer hide behind empty announcements. Ending homelessness and tackling the housing crisis requires political will, resources, and delivery on the ground. Sinn Féin has the plan and the ambition to deliver that change — this government does not.”
Conor D. McGuinness TD 