Homeless crisis a result of political choices, opposition says, as homeless population surpasses Maynooth

Over 17,500 people were availing of homeless accommodation in Ireland in February, the highest figure since records began. 

The latest round of figures from the Department of Housing, released on April 24, found that 17,517 people were in homeless accommodation in Ireland in the month of March.

For perspective, the 2022 census listed the population of Maynooth at 17,259.

The figures mark a dramatic increase from May 2016, when the 32nd Dáil met for the first time, when 6,189 people were in homeless accommodation. 

The true number of people in homeless accommodation is likely to be above 20,000, as figures from the Department of Housing do not take “invisible homelessness” into account, such as couch surfing or people sleeping in cars.

On March 1, the government’s updated rental laws came into effect, which makes it easier for landlords to evict tenants and gives precedence to those already in existing tenancies over those without a home.

Sinn Féin TD and housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Bróin placed the rise in homeless figures – yet another record high broken in the lifetime of this government – on the government cutting supports for homeless services.

Research carried out by Ó Broin found that local councils saw a 66% drop in social housing acquisitions in 2025 compared to 2024, and a 69% drop in tenant-in-situ acquisitions.

On a Dublin level, both Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council saw funding for the scheme cut by 73%, and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown saw a drastic 95% reduction in funding.

Ó Bróin explained that local councils could have brought hundreds of homes with the aim to prevent families from becoming homeless, but funding was slashed by Minister for Housing James Browne.

To Ó Bróin’s point, there were 1,520 families in homeless accommodation in Dublin in February 2025, Browne’s first full month as Minister for Housing.

The most recent round of figures has the same figure at 1,866.

The government’s seeming apathy towards the housing crisis is by design, per Ó Bróin.

“It is hard to understand why a Minister for Housing who claims that ending homelessness is his priority would cut funding for a successful homeless prevention scheme, the result of which is an increase in homelessness,” he said.

“Meanwhile, the Minister is failing to meet his social and affordable housing targets and removing vital protections for renters that will result in even higher rip-off rents.”

“This government is actively making the homelessness crisis worse. Instead of introducing an emergency package of measures as proposed by Sinn Féin and others they are lining the pockets of institutional investors and big developers while screwing renters and forcing ever more adults and children into homelessness,” the Dublin Mid-West TD said.

Social Democrats TD and housing spokesperson Rory Hearne remarked, “almost six years on from the coalition’s first combined housing plan, Housing for All, the number of children in homelessness has more than doubled, yet Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael shout from the rafters that they’re doing a good job in housing.”

Hearne pointed to the government’s new rent regulations as a factor in the rising number of people in homeless accommodation.

Hearne claimed that the lead-up to the new rules being introduced saw a “dramatic increase in evictions, the likes of which have not been seen since the famine – Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have incentivised landlords across Ireland to evict their tenants.”

“Minister Browne’s tolerance for record-high homelessness has cemented his position as the Minister for Evictions and Homelessness,” the Dublin North-West TD said.

Labour by-election candidate Ruth O’Dea says the homeless figures are an issue on the doors among voters.

The Dublin Central candidate said, “we know a staggering 1 in 10 of the country’s homeless population lives in Gardiner St in Dublin Central. Behind every one of these numbers is a person, a family, a child who has been failed by this government.”

“This is something people are raising again and again on the doors in Dublin Central. Families are worried about their children’s futures. Renters feel completely exposed. People are asking how this has been allowed to happen and why the government is not stepping in to stop it.”

O’Dea said, “the reality is that this crisis is not inevitable; it is the direct result of political choices.”

“The government has chosen to rely on the private market to deliver housing, and it has failed. They have chosen not to adequately protect renters, and people are paying the price,” she said.