Wexford councillor calls for referendum on the right to housing - ‘This is one of the defining issues of our time’
Wexford PeopleWhile there were more than 36,000 new homes built in 2025 the number of homeless people in Ireland continues to rise. As of March of this year, 17,517 people were reported as being homeless, an increase of 209 on February’s figures.
Despite new rent control measures being introduced in March the housing crisis shows no signs of abating and, at the monthly meeting of Wexford County Council (WCC), Sinn Féin councillor Tom Forde called for a referendum to be held on the right to housing.
Submitting a motion on this issue, Cllr Forde called upon the government to “recognise and vindicate the right of all persons to adequate housing” and “to enshrine this right in our constitution through a referendum”.
The motion was subsequently carried by the council and will now be forwarded to each of Co Wexford’s seven TDs requesting their support.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Forde said, “The housing crisis is the greatest social challenge facing our country today. Thousands of people are trapped in insecure housing, locked out of home ownership, paying unaffordable rents or facing homelessness. Housing is a basic human right and it is time that right was recognised and protected in our Constitution.
“The government has repeatedly spoken about tackling homelessness, yet it continues to avoid the structural reforms needed to guarantee housing as a right. A referendum would allow the people themselves to decide whether future governments should be constitutionally required to uphold that right.
“The people deserve the opportunity to have their say on one of the defining issues of our time.”
Separately, Cllr Forde also asked that WCC “desist from issuing exit notices” to people in emergency accommodation “who have been abiding by” the terms of agreement set by the council.
However, director of housing, Ms Carolyne Godkin, said the council’s focus would always be on ensuring those in emergency accommodation transitioned to sustainable tenancies where possible.
“When people go into emergency accommodation there’s always a viable exit, whether that’s private rented property or social housing,” she said. “The letters we send are reminding them they have an obligation to make an effort to apply for private rented accommodation.
“There are private rentals out there, they can be expensive so it does depend on affordability, but we encourage people to use all the options they have to exit emergency accommodation.”