Greens: Census figures reveal ‘accommodation time-bomb’

 458,874 young people over the age of 18 still live with parents

High rents and house prices preventing people from leaving home 

The Green Party said today that the Government is facing an accommodation and housing time bomb, on top of the current housing crisis, as Census figures revealed that there are 458,874 persons aged 18 and over living with their parents.

Speaking today, Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan TD said: “The crisis in housing supply is laid bare by these latest Census figures. Almost half a million young people over the age of 18 are still living at home with their parents. Of that number, 180,703 were at work. Due to spiraling rents and soaring house prices, moving out of home is simply out of reach for many young people.

“These young people are forgotten about in the context of the housing crisis. While living at home with parents is fine in the short term, the Government will be facing an even worse crisis if and when these young people decide to move out.

“The demand for housing is at an all-time high. The numbers of houses the Government are delivering just won’t do. We need to get vacant and derelict properties back into use ASAP. This is the low hanging fruit. We’re calling on the Government to move their vacant and derelict sites taxes forward to this year, to get the empty housing stock back into circulation and prevent land hoarding and speculation.

“The urgency required to tackle the housing crisis just isn’t evident from the Government. They need to get behind a massive, state-backed building programme to increase supply, and abandon their current failing policy of incentivising developers with tax breaks.”