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CHARITIES WORKING IN the housing and homelessness sector have sharply criticised the Government for doing too little on housing in Budget 2025.
The Simon Communities’ executive director Wayne Stanley said it was “extraordinary” that so much money could be spent and “so little done for those at the sharpest end of the housing crisis”.
He said the 10,000 social homes promised in the budget was “simply insufficient” as a target.
“We see another budget where the rhetoric of homelessness being a ‘top priority’ is not in evidence,” he said.
Focus Ireland Director of Advocacy Mike Allen: “The housing measures continued to focus on helping people deal with the cost of housing failure rather than tackle the failure itself.”
He said measures to invest in the Land Development Agency, in his view, represent that the Government are moving away is focus from social housing in favour of affordable housing instead.
He reasoned that this measure would not benefit those who are currently homeless. He added:
“The problem with a give-away budget is that what it gives away is the resources we need to provide lasting solutions.”
Sinn Féin TD and party finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty said, in response to the Budget in the Dáil today: “This is not a giveaway budget. This is a give-up-on-housing budget.”
He said that the Government were “raising the white flag” on housing by not committing a “single social or affordable house more” to its targets.
He said that it was “shocking” for Government not to increase its targets and claimed it was insulting to those in need of a home.
Threshold, a homelessness prevention charity, expressed concern at a lack of additional funding to boost the amounts available through the Housing Assistance Payments scheme.
While it welcomed the measures that were included in the budget, it said the Government could’ve gone further.
These social housing welfare payments were surpassed by rents in the private sector “many years ago”, leaving HAP recipients “often having to make up the shortfall with money they do not have”, Threshold said.
It added that an additional 8,400 people may need to avail of HAP in 2025.
DePaul also cautiously welcomed the proposals but said it was “disappointed at the lack of any significant increase in the commitment to meet the Housing Commissions call for an increase of 20% in low cost housing”.
The Journal put these criticisms from housing charities to the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien at a press conference earlier today.
The Minister said he had “immense regard and respect” for the NGOs and charities who help to prevent homelessness in Ireland and accepted that there was still more than needed to be done to help those facing homelessness.
He pointed to figures from the second quarter of this year indicating 630 families exited emergency accommodation. He said that he expects Government to reach its social housing targets and exceed affordable housing targets this year.
He added: “Major challenges to remain – I’ve been very honest with people. And Simon [Communities] will know that, and the [other] NGOs know that too. But we’ve been able to make real progress over the last few years working with our NGO partners.”
Included in the housing measures in Budget 2025, the Help-To-Buy scheme was extended until 2029 after it was due to conclude at the end of next year. Rent tax credits were increased to €1,000 per tenant andwill be back dated to this year.
A new, third rate of stamp duty, applicable to residential property valued above €1.5 million, will be set at 6% with effect from midnight tonight. The existing rate of 1% will continue to apply to homes valued up to €1 million, and 2% on values over €1 million.
A higher rate of stamp duty on bulk purchasing of houses also increased from 10% to 15%, with immediate effect. There was also an increase to the vacant homes tax where property owners will now have to pay seven-times the local property tax rate.
Additional reporting by Christina Finn
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Who said that?come out where i can see you.
If you have to tell people I’m not invisible……..
Not invisible but chameleon maybe, he can change colour from red shirt to blue maybe even green, now there is invisibility for you greens
hear hear ….hes hiding so when election time comes …sooner the better….he can say it wasnt me i didnt do anything…..fuck of you lying muppet…
Eamon, you mightn’t be invisible but while I’ve remained faithful to your party ye’ve been playing around.
Sure we’ve been through a bad patch before, especially when you sleep with the blue nightie lads and lassies, but I’ve always forgiven ye. Battered wife syndrome!! :-( But there’s only so much abuse a woman can take.
Be warned. I’m thinking of breaking it off……… And hell, you know what they say about a woman scorned!!!
Hey may not be invisible but the traditions and values of the Labour party are
Pitiful little man who like many before him, casts his principles aside when power beckons!!
Ive seen more of Bertie in the last few months than Gilmore….and I don’t even live in Ireland anymore! Put two and two together, Eamon…Labour have shamed themselves!!
Who said that ?????
I Hope that Bertie is not going to be one of the people that will be speaking to the invited Soviet members
Bertie should be exiled to a soviet gulag in outer Siberia
The labour party is such a joke
No, he’s not invisible. I saw him today at the BT Young Scientists Exhibition at the RDS today. I couldn’t help but note the irony of the leader of the Labour Party taking his opportunity to sample the achievements of some of our best and brightest students when his party and Cabinet collegue is trying to single-handedly destroy the opportunities and education of those same students at the behest of our European overlords. Or do we now just accept that as politics?
Doh, I meant to thumb that up sorry – you can -1 the thumbs down (and +1 the thumbs up). Very valid point. Cut backs to disadvantaged schools, tightening of 3rd level finances, the list goes on and yet he makes sure to get his face in on these events. Sickening.
are you sure it was him cos wasit back in the 80s that they cloned a sheep
…’Representatives from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan will all come to Ireland in April to discuss how to settle ongoing conflicts in the area, drawing on the Northern Ireland model, Gilmore said’…
Why on earth would they be talking to Gilmore about the peace process? Adams and Robinson are the ones with the experience.
ah, but Gilmore would know the Soviets better from the old WP days! Maybe invite North Korea too?:-)
Yet another denial from Gilmore. Does he ever say anything positive? Everything he has said since February is, “Tainiste denies…”, “Gilmore rejects”, “Minister for Foreign Affairs does not accept….” etc.
Hardly a wonder the people feel as negative as they do.
If only he was more like they fella who went on high profile foreign trips wearing yellow trousers and was always seen opening pubs, shopping centres, bookies and filled the Sindo when he was Taoiseach. How did that work out?
The invisible spineless man! Enda: “Eamon go out there & show the people you actually exist & your still hanging around claiming a wage. Schnell!!” Eamon: “Yes sir Me Kenny sir.”
So foreign and trade minister and tanaiste will basically be on a nice tour of the world this year so expect a expanding waistline. All those banquets will make him more like the bloated man than the invisible one. Enjoy your feasts while Ireland continues on the economic merry go round.
or Horror go round @1 Human Being
Casper the friendly ghost who said it would be ‘Frankfurts way or Labours way’..He promised on his pre-election campaign lies that there would be no cutbacks to S.N.A s either. He’s a disgrace..
No two ways about it complete and utter gobshite … Bye bye in the next election !
Gilmore Gilmore hmmm did he not run for the prime ministers job.
Oh sorry about last comment did he not take a job in Frankfurt directing the bailout boys to the airport
4 jobs and i bet this man of the people is getting paid for them all.
come out you b@llix i know ur in there.
lol lol lol Jimbo
But if you were invisible what would you do?
If i could be invisible for 1 week i would haunt the shower in Dail Eireann scare the life out of them HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE we would soon see the lot of them gone
Hes working so hard that the pounds are falling off of him! Look at that jaw line!
Four jobs – just highlights the nonsense of a system that we have -maybe he should just do one and do it properly instead of whinging about how hard he works.
Too right Gerard ….One man one job !
What are Eamonn’s ”priorities” for us tho ?
Do your job here first.Then if you do well go and preach the word.
I agree with him he is not invisible! His achievements are!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m getting tired now of expressing my outrage at Labour’s betrayal of their principles…….. and of the workers of Ireland…….. I hope he becomes even more invisible after the next election.
Who’s he? *sarcasm*
He is busy at his german classes
If you’re fending off the charge of invisibility, you have pretty much hit the rocks.
Eamon who???
Eamon Gilmore???? who is he what is he
Eamonn who??
Mr. Gilmore, im sure, has some skeletons in the closet. They all do. Look at what skeletons did to the last government. Tá fios agat cad atá mé ag caint faoi, nach bhfuil. So… Why so quite.
christ ..who would be a politician. Its like p.ie on here
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