No more hotel rooms, our children deserve better.

In my own family I've seen two separate family members and their children forced into emergency accommodation after losing their private rental. It was an incredibly stressful time for both of their young families and something that should not be happening in this day and age. Affordable accommodation should be an option but it's not. Between a lack of social housing and the rising cost of private rentals most of Ireland has become a very unwelcoming place for families. The Children’s Rights Alliance has said that child and family homelessness must be the number one priority for the next government. Speaking today, Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, said:

"Addressing child and family homelessness must be an urgent priority for the next government. Children now make up the largest population in homelessness, with child homelessness rising by a staggering 400 per cent from 2014 to 2019. What we have witnessed since 2016 has been a grave social injustice. We are now facing a homelessness crisis that is depriving thousands of children of a decent childhood. The next government must acknowledge this crisis for what it is and commit to build, to legislate and to plan with children and families in mind."

As well as child and family homelessness, the Report Card highlighted two other key areas in need of improvement which were the mental health and the rights of Traveller and Roma children. Since the recent election there has been little word on what government will be formed let alone what they will do to tackle child and family homelessness so it's hard to know when this crisis will end. Until then hundreds of families across the country will continue to live in emergency accommodation and hotel rooms, waiting for some sort of solution.