The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has criticised remarks by Leo Varadkar, who recently claimed that Ireland's rate of homelessness was low by international standards. ICTU said the Taoiseach’s words were “highly insensitive,” as unions echoed the condemnation of IMPACT-staffed housing organisations.

Niamh Randall, head of policy and communications at the Simon Community, said the narrative around homelessness was “troubling,” and that the attempted normalisation of homelessness was extremely damaging.

“Our numbers are not normal and homelessness is an absolute crisis for each individual. Imagine being trapped in a hotel with your children – one of the biggest tragedies of your life – and hearing that it’s normal,” she said.

ICTU general secretary Patricia King said: “The Taoiseach's attempt to minimise our housing and homeless emergency is entirely lacking in any sense of empathy for the plight of the people who are homeless. They cannot be wished away, nor can this crisis be minimised by some meaningless statistical comparison. They are real people denied the fundamental human right to shelter.”

Listen to IMPACT’s audio bulletin for more on this story, and an exclusive interview with Niamh Randall, head of policy and communications with the Dublin Simon Community.