The President says the housing policy here is a "disaster".
Michael D Higgins was speaking as he opened a centre for homeless young adults in Co Kildare this afternoon.
The facility in Naas will accommodate seven men and five women between the ages of 18 and 25.
President Higgins says the housing situation here has been the countries biggest failure.
"I often ask myself you know, how republican is what we created and isn't it sometimes very much closer to the Poor Law system that we thought we were departing from.
"I have taken as well to speaking ever more frankly in relation to housing because I think it is our great, great, great failure.
"It isn't a crisis anymore, it is a disaster."
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