Housing older people ‘forgotten about’ — Kildare councillor

Kildare Sinn Féin councillor Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh has condemned the government's failure to deliver adequate social and affordable housing, warning that it is plunging older people in Kildare and beyond into insecurity and hardship.

Councillor Ní Raghallaigh’s comments follow the release of a report by the Parliamentary Budget Office, which revealed that over 115,000 households had ongoing housing needs last year.

The report highlighted a worrying trend: an increasing number of older people are either stuck on social housing waiting lists or forced to rely on Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) to maintain a roof over their heads.

Councillor Ní Raghallaigh didn’t hold back in her criticism.

“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil's housing policies have led to a crisis that is forcing more and more older people into insecure and precarious living conditions,” she said. “The latest report from the Parliamentary Budget Office paints a bleak picture of the housing situation, particularly for older people who are locked out of home ownership and are languishing on social housing waiting lists or relying on HAP in an increasingly volatile rental market.

“There are over 31,000 households in this situation, with nearly half of them likely consisting of single individuals, many of whom are probably living alone. These are older members of our community who should be enjoying security in their later years but are instead facing uncertainty and hardship. The report found there are a growing number of people over the age of 50 who are locked out of home ownership and are either stuck on social housing waiting lists or reliant on HAP to afford their rents in an insecure rental market.

“The report rightly warns of the significant concerns this raises. As people age, their ability to secure a mortgage diminishes, leaving them at the mercy of rising rents in a market that this government has failed to control. This is creating a demographic crisis that cannot be ignored.

“Unable to afford a home or secure social housing, many older people face a future of financial struggle, relying solely on their pensions to cover increasingly unaffordable rents, or worse, unable to find accommodation at all. I have assisted a number of older people in the last two months who have been evicted through no fault of their own. Finding alternative accommodation for them has been very difficult. They are being forgotten about by this government.” The Sinn Féin councillor said recent claims by the Taoiseach that enough social homes are being delivered are “completely out of touch with reality”.

“Under the current government, rents and house prices continue to soar, home ownership rates are declining, and the housing crisis deepens by the day,” she said. “But there is an alternative. Sinn Féin has a housing plan that can deliver the social and affordable homes needed to provide the secure and affordable accommodation that this government is denying older people.

“It’s clear that what we need is a general election, a change of government, and a Sinn Féin Minister for Housing to bring about the real change that is desperately needed.”