Sinn Fein is demanding an overhaul of the Government's housing policy due to the increasing number of homeless people and growing demand for social housing across the nation.

Rebuilding Ireland was established in 2016 as the government's six billion action plan to tackle the country's housing shortage, with the aim of delivering an additional 50,000 social housing units by 2021.

Sinn Fein's spokesperson for housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD launched a billboard outside Government Buildings on Tuesday 15 January and called for Leo Varadkar to scrap the housing initiative altogether and initiate an overhaul of the sector.

"Rebuilding Ireland has failed. There are almost 13,000 adults and children in emergency accommodation and sleeping rough. There are 130,000 households in need of social housing. There are tens of thousands of people unable to rent or buy a home and thousands more struggling to afford their rent or mortgages.

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"The reason is because Fine Gael, just like Fianna Fáil, are failing to invest in public housing to meet social and affordable housing need while at the same time over relying on the private sector.

"Last year, when we tabled our motion of no confidence in Minister Eoghan Murphy, we made it clear that both he and the Government's failing housing plan had to go if there was to be any chance of tackling the housing crisis.

"There are ever growing murmurings from Fine Gael backbenchers and cabinet sources that the Taoiseach's relationship with Minister Murphy has soured and that the Minister for Housing is set to be moved."

Eoin Ó Broin continued to accuse the Taoiseach of paying more attention to his reputation than the hardship faced by many affected by the housing crisis, and urged him to take immediate action.

"An Taoiseach could make 2019 the year we start to seriously tackle the housing and homelessness crisis. He needs to accept that Rebuilding Ireland has failed. He must start to work with the opposition to put in place a real plan that invests in a level of public housing provision commensurate with social and affordable housing need.

"If he fails to do so, he will face ever growing public anger and protest at his Government's failure."

(JG/CM)