Homeless figures edge closer to 17,000 mark, all-time record high figure set again

16,996 people availed of homeless services across Ireland in November 2025, breaking the previous all-time record high of 16,766.

The figure is on a par with the population of Leixlip, County Kildare.

The all-time record high figure was broken multiple times across 2025, highlighting the government being unable to get a handle on the issue.

The figure is an increase from the previous set of figures of 16,766, which were published in late October.

12,143 of the overall national figure was in Dublin, with 5,321 children in homeless accommodation across Ireland in November 2025.

In August 2021, homeless figures stood at 8,141 nationwide, with 2,189 of those figures being children, marking a doubling of the figures in four years.

The homeless crisis has plagued the last few governments; in 2018, then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar declared the crisis was an “emergency” when figures were sitting below 10,000 nationwide.

After the lifting of the no-fault eviction ban in March 2023, homeless figures, which had seen a sharp decline during that temporary measure, started to see a steady rise again and directly led to the all-time record high figure being broken in nearly every month in 2025.

Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon Community, said, “as we mark the beginning of a new year, we must face the homelessness crisis with renewed energy.”

“We cannot allow the situation to worsen for yet another year; it is incomprehensible that we have gotten to the point where this many people are trapped in emergency accommodation.”