Homeless figures break 14,000 for first time

The week before local and European elections where housing is a major issue, the latest homeless figures for April have shown that 14,000 people in Ireland are now homeless.

The statistics looked at how many people were homeless in the month of April across all of Ireland.

Of those 14,000, 10,216 are in Dublin.

Over 3,000 children in Dublin are homeless according to the statistics according to statistics released by the Department of Housing.

Homeless figures have jumped by over 1,000 over a 6 month gap, and have risen steadily ever since the government lifted a ban on temporary no-fault eviction in March 2023.

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said in January “those without a home remain the top priority for this Government.”

In 2018, former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar declared homelessness a “national emergency.”

Social Democrats TD and housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said the latest record-breaking homeless figures come in the wake of the damning report from the Housing Commission, which identified a deficit of up to 256,000 homes.

“This enormous shortfall of homes is having a direct impact on the record numbers of people becoming homeless,” he said.

“A key recommendation of the Housing Commission report was to establish a Housing Delivery Oversight Executive to identify and address blockages to housing delivery and oversee investment in public utilities on land zoned for housing.”

“The Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has rejected this recommendation, describing it as ‘problematic’.

“A shortfall 256,000 homes is deeply problematic. Thousands of children growing up without a home is deeply problematic. The Minister’s dismissive response to the Housing Commission’s report is deeply problematic.

“Instead of rejecting these recommendations out of hand, the Minister should listen to the constructive solutions from the Housing Commission.

“He must take urgent action to protect people from the trauma of becoming homeless.”