15,915 people availed of homeless services in Ireland in May, breaking the previous record high.
Of that figure, 10,957 are in Dublin, enough to fill Tolka Park twice over.
June’s nationwide figures are up from the previous all-time record of 15,747.
The figure does not include “invisible homelessness”, such as couch surfing or people sleeping in cars.
Ever since the eviction ban was lifted in early 2023, the homeless figures have skyrocketed.
In the month before the eviction ban was lifted, January 2023, there were 11,754 people in homeless services in Ireland.
Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said that the government are “continuing to normalise homelessness.”
“Every single month since this new government was formed has seen increases in homelessness; government failures are normalising homelessness,” the Sinn Féin TD said.
“There has been no emergency response to the ever-deepening homelessness crisis. Instead, there are just empty words and cruel inaction.”
Ó Broin warned, “without an emergency response from government, the homeless numbers will continue to rise with ever greater number of adults and children forced to live for years in emergency accommodation.”
Speaking in March 2018, then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it was “disturbing” that homeless figures were creeping up towards the 10,000 mark and declared the homeless crisis a “national emergency.”
Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon Community, said “the alarm bells have been ringing for far too long.”
“We’re in the thick of a national emergency, and still we wait for the government to take decisive action.”
“Of utmost concern is the rate of homelessness in the capital compared to the rest of the country. Since January, homelessness in Dublin has increased at a rate four times greater than outside the capital. A lack of delivery on social housing targets and resources to the housing sector in a growing capital comes with a price. The most vulnerable people are paying that price.”
“Month after month, year after year, our capital city has seen more and more of its citizens left without a place to call home.
“At what point will the Government decide to do what is necessary to address this great injustice?” she asked.
The Salvation Army has warned that the childhoods of thousands of youngsters are being ‘suppressed’ by the homeless crisis.
The Christian church and charity, one of the biggest providers of emergency accommodation in the capital, said the statistics conceal a ‘truly awful impact’ on children.
“Part of a normal childhood involves inviting friends to your home, play dates and sleepovers, but these things that so many of us take for granted are not enjoyed by children in emergency accommodation” said Erene Williamson, The Salvation Army’s Homeless Services Ireland Lead.
“We have a diverse range of activities organised to occupy them, but the fact remains that every day they are not living independently, their childhoods are being suppressed.
“That removal of a vital part of growing up is particularly acute during the summer holidays.”