Wicklow Cuckoos Stuck In The Nest

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atest press release from Deputy Jennifer Whitmore, issued on Thursday, August 31st 2023…

Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore has criticised government housing strategy in light of CSO data released today.

In Wicklow, 17,090 adults, or 15% of all those aged 18 and over in the county, were still living with their parents as of April 2022. This was an increase of over 2000 people since 2016. The CSO also found Bray West has the highest rate in the county, with one in five adults stuck living in their parents’ homes.

Deputy Whitmore said: “We have an entire generation of young Wicklow residents locked out of home ownership and unable to afford rent.

“Census results released today show that the number of adults still living with their parents has skyrocketed across Ireland, and Wicklow has some of the highest rates of adult children returning to the family home.

“In April 2022 in Wicklow, 17,090 adults, or 15% of all those aged 18 and over in the county, lived with their parents. This is the second highest rate by county in Ireland. Bray has the highest rates in the county, with one in five adults living in their parents’ home.

“My office has been inundated in recent years with pleas from people in their twenties and thirties looking for assistance with housing. Most are working and want to buy a home to start a family. However, major life decisions, such as when to have children, are being put on hold by people who cannot afford to leave their parents’ homes.

“Being stuck in a childhood bedroom can profoundly negatively impact mental health, self-esteem, and the ability to form and maintain relationships. This situation can strain familial relationships, too, with multiple generations of adults living in one home.

“Other European countries that provide significant levels of affordable housing do not have this problem. Countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Finland do not have this problem because they invest in public housing on a large scale.

“Wicklow needs an ambitious plan for housing.

“That kind of ambition will not come from the current government parties of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, who pay lip service to affordable housing but continue to let the situation deteriorate.”