A coalition of the country’s main homeless service providers are greatly disturbed at the speed with which the new housing bill, the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, is being rushed through the Houses of the Oireachtas – and says it will add to the escalating homeless crisis in the country.
Such is the level of concern – this is the first time that this group of key providers in the country have come together publicly to express their alarm.
The group has expressed their shock at how the Bill is being rushed through without normal consultation and consideration and say their serious concerns about the potential effects on vulnerable people are being ignored.
They warn that this legislation will have profound effects on the most vulnerable people in our society.
“This bill has the potential to further alienate and disenfranchise those who need our support most,” said Conor Hickey, CEO of Crosscare.
The coalition believes that this legislation comes at a time of acute housing need; unless amended, this Bill will entrench barriers to housing support rather than remove them. Removing households from housing lists or homelessness statistics is not a solution to the homelessness and housing crises. This legislation must work for those most in need. Without proper safeguards, it risks excluding vulnerable households and deepening the homelessness crisis.
Having examined it carefully, and reviewed the concerns of legal and human rights experts such as Mercy Law, Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC), Community Law & Mediation (CLM) and Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), the group says the proposed Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, as it stands, will have serious consequences for
- Irish citizens who are returning to live in Ireland after periods living abroad
- People who are fleeing domestic violence in an attempt to keep themselves and their children safe
- Families currently on social housing waiting lists that may have their housing supports removed
- People who are homeless and seeking emergency support to get off the streets
- People who have fled horrific circumstances in their countries of origin and who have been given the right to live in Ireland, and people who have been sex trafficked into the country
David Carroll CEO of Depaul Ireland said:
“While amendments to the bill are being discussed this week we are worried that they will not go far enough to protect the most vulnerable people in our society.”
The coalition is asking for time to discuss several critical issues in the Bill, including the need for any appeals mechanism to be independent and extended to those in need of emergency accommodation.
We are calling on the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne to:
- Pause the progression of the Bill to allow full and transparent scrutiny
- Publish the policy and evidence underpinning the proposals to inform that scrutiny
- Engage in meaningful consultation with affected communities and NGO’s.
Signed:
Conor Hickey, CEO, Crosscare
David Carroll, CEO, Depaul Ireland
Louisa Carr, Chairperson, Dublin Homeless Network
Catherine Kenny, CEO, Dublin Simon Community
Maria Joyce ,Coordinator, National Traveller Women’s Forum (NTWF)
Una Burns, Head of Advocacy and Communications, Novas
Niall Mulligan, CEO, the Peter McVerry Trust
Aoife Waters, CEO, Respond
Ber Grogan, Executive Director, Simon Communities of Ireland
John- Mark McCafferty, CEO, Threshold
