Crosscare Irish Diaspora Support Project, alongside Emigrant Support Programme partners Safe Home Ireland and the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas, has expressed serious concern over the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, warning that it could create significant barriers for Irish citizens returning home from abroad who need access to social housing and homelessness services.
In recent years all three of our organisations have seen a growing number of returning emigrants and their families arrive in Ireland with nowhere to live, often entering homelessness immediately upon their return. Despite raising these issues in joint submissions to government departments and committees throughout 2024 and 2025, these concerns have not been reflected in the proposed legislation.
Barrier to Access for Most Vulnerable
A key concern is the proposed inclusion of Habitual Residence criteria for accessing social housing supports in Ireland. This change could prevent some of the most vulnerable returnees from accessing emergency accommodation and other essential housing services when they need them most.
Those most likely to be affected include people repatriated through Irish consular services, survivors of domestic violence and institutional abuse, deportees, former prisoners, and other vulnerable members of the Irish diaspora returning home. There are also concerns that returning Irish citizens with non-Irish family members could face additional barriers, potentially resulting in households being excluded from support or separated during the housing application process.
Commitments in Ireland’s Diaspora Strategy
The proposed measures also appear to undermine the commitments set out in Ireland’s Diaspora Strategy 2026–2030, which aims to reduce administrative barriers for people seeking to return to Ireland and recognises that vulnerable and marginalised groups often require additional support during their transition home.
In response, we have raised our concerns with Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD. We have called upon Minister Richmond to engage with Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD on these issues.
Key Asks
Our key asks are:
- Amendment of the legislation to allow for the retention of Local Authority discretion in assessing housing applications from returning Irish citizens, particularly where non-Irish family members are involved,
- Confirmation that returning Irish citizens and families presenting as homeless will not be denied access to emergency accommodation as a result of the changes, and
- The development of clear decision-making guidelines, staff training, and an independent appeals process before the legislation is implemented.
We believe these safeguards are essential to ensure that vulnerable Irish citizens returning home are not left without access to the housing supports they need.
Learn More
Read our:
