Deputy Pearse Doherty has called for the government to stop what he called the inevitable rise in homelessness by reversing its decision to end the eviction ban.
Figures released by the Residential Tenancies Board show that in the second half of last year, 127 notices to quit were served by landlords on their tenants in Donegal.
The Sinn Fein Deputy said “With the no-fault eviction ban now gone, the reality of this will be felt by people and families in the North West. Behind all these figures are real people – workers, families and pensioners.
“Households are at risk of losing the roof over their heads and the government still cannot answer one simple question – where are people to go?
“Despite this, the government has inexplicably made the cruel decision to end this essential protection for renters.”
And Deputy Doherty partially blamed some of his fellow Donegal TDs for the issue.
He added “Donegal’s Deputy Joe McHugh and Minister Charlie McConalogue voted against Sinn Féin proposals to protect renters and, along with their party colleagues, have made a conscious decision to make people homeless.
“The coming days, weeks and months will be when the consequences of their actions for people and families will be felt.
“It will be a time of huge uncertainty and stress for the growing number of people contacting our offices because they have nowhere to go. We have parents of young children contacting us and telling us they will have to live in their car.
“If the government wants to stop the inevitable rise in homelessness, it must reverse its heartless decision to end the eviction ban.”
