Government cuts Louth tenant in situ funding by 36% - Ó Murchú

The government has “moved away” from tenant in situ acquisitions by “drastically cutting” the cash available to councils that steer people away from homelessness, Dundalk TD Ruairí Ó Murchú has said.

He was speaking after Sinn Féin released new analysis of figures for the Tenant in Situ Purchase Scheme which show a drop of 36% in funding available to Louth County Council under the scheme this year compared to 2024.

In 2024, over €18.8 million was made available to Louth County Council under the Tenant in Situ Purchase Scheme, but for 2025, this figure has dropped to just €12 million.

Sinn Féin says their analysis shows cuts to the scheme across the board in local authorities, raising fears of even more homelessness looming for families in Louth.

Deputy Ó Murchú said that not only had the funding been “slashed” for the scheme in Louth, but there are also “myriad checks and checklists to be completed before even qualifying for the scheme, showing that the government is clearly moving away from the idea of it.”

He said: “The consequence of these cuts will be less acquisitions across all funding programmes in 2025. This means more people being at risk of homelessness, more people trapped in emergency accommodation, more vacant and derelict homes and less rightsizing.

“With the new checks and checklists, it will be much harder for people to benefit from the scheme, and I think it will only be in the most extreme, extreme cases that people will be able to get help this way.

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“I have engaged with Louth County Council on this matter over the last number of weeks and they agree the scheme qualification has been made far more onerous and it is not the solution it was previously.

“All that means that the government has created an even bleaker outlook for people who are in rented accommodation, waiting years for social housing and facing homelessness as more and more landlords are thinking of selling in a red hot housing market.

“Sinn Féin is calling on the Minister for Housing James Browne to immediately reverse these cuts, provide the same level of funding for 2025 acquisitions as will be spent on 2024 acquisitions and to reverse the severe restrictions on the operation of the tenant-in-situ scheme.”