Government 'spoofed' about housing delivery - Sinn Fein leader says during visit to Kilkenny

As homelessness and a shortage in housing supply continue to impact the daily lives of people in County Kilkenny, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald visited the Good Shepherd Centre last week to speak to some of the service users and volunteers facing the issue.

Thirty-nine people accessed emergency accommodation locally according to the Department of Housing in January. So, the visit carried huge importance.

"I have been here before but I’m always impressed by the tenacity and the ability to innovate and do incredible things on a limited budget, it’s very impressive," she said on her visit, stating, she had a significant meeting with the Good Shepherd Centre on how the service and similar services can be 'scaled up'.

"We know that homeless numbers are increasing, that’s a damning reality of our society," she said, noting the burden of accommodation is being left with voluntary organisations.

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"Voluntary organisations have had to fight so hard for decent wages and and for pay parity, the State does not make it easy for people or for organisations who are stepping up to the plate to provide what are essential services."

"In an ideal work of course the government should meet all of these needs but they don’t,"  she added.

"We know that people that are at work find it difficult to find a place to rent, not to mind buy and with all of these pressures going on, we have a government that spoofed about the number of houses that have been delivered," the Sinn Féin leader said.

The leader of the Opposition also acknowledged the issue of homelessness is beyond Dublin, impacting counties such as Kilkenny also.

"I can understand the criticism that 'it's not all about Dublin," McDonald admitted.

"Dublin faces particular challenges just because of the size of the city but is important that experiences in places like Kilkenny and other cities, towns and villages are known."

Meanwhile, the Sinn Féin leader also expressed her desire to see an increase in party representation from/in County Kilkenny. Currently, there is one TD and MEP from the county and just one representative on the council.

"We're determined to grow. Kathleen Funchion is an established and such a popular political figure in Kilkenny so when she wasn’t running (in the General Election) we were conscious that they were very big shoes to fill," she said, hailing new candidates Natasha Newsome Drennan and Aine Gladney-Knox.

"I think we have the basis for optimism but what it’s all about now is hard work," affirming they will grow that number in the years to come.

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