Near 50% rise in child homelessness since Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael took office in 2020, figures show

17,482 people were confirmed to be in homeless accommodation by the Department of Housing in the most recent round of figures.

The figure is a rise from the 17,447 people confirmed to be in homeless accommodation by the Department of Housing in the most recent round of figures.

March 2026 was the first month in which controversial rent rules were implemented, with critics arguing they erode tenants’ rights and prevent tenants from attaining long-term security.

Of the figure, 5,620 are children, up from the previous figure of 5583.

When the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael/independents government took office in January 2025, the figure stood at 15,286 people.

When the coalition agreement between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael was agreed upon in June 2020, there were 2,787 children in homeless accommodation in Ireland, with that figure more than doubling since then.

Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon Community, noted “there are signs that homeless figures are beginning to level off; whether this will lead to a decline down the line or a seasonal variation remains to be seen.”

“The reality is that we are still in a situation where over 17,000 people are still stuck in emergency accommodation, without a place to call home. These people need the backing of those in power to help them overcome the injustice of homelessness. The government must invest in the services that are known to work in preventing homelessness,” she said.

Kenny said that the Usher’s Island facility is not fully funded, meaning that it only has capacity for 75 beds instead of 100.

“Usher’s Island was designed specifically to meet those complex needs. It brings healthcare, addiction treatment and residential support together in one specialist facility. Yet 25 of its 100 beds remain unavailable because the facility is not fully funded.”

“At full capacity, the facility could save up to 36,500 inpatient hospital bed days each year through reduced admissions and improved health outcomes,” Kenny said.

During the 33rd Dáil, and as part of cost-of-living measures, the government announced a ban on no-fault evictions for the winter of 2022 and leading into March 2023.

In November 2022, the first full month in which no-fault evictions were banned, homeless figures stood at 11,542.

In April 2023, the first full month after the ban on no-fault evictions was lifted, the figures jumped to 12,259, which offered clear, empirical evidence that a no-fault eviction ban directly led to a decrease in homeless figures.

Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne warned that the figures “don’t even reveal the true scale of the crisis as they exclude those in hidden homelessness.”

Sociologists note that there is a trend of “invisible homelessness,” where people are not officially registered as being in homeless accommodation but are homeless in the legal sense.

This refers to individuals who are sleeping rough, in cars, in tents, on couches or in domestic violence shelters.

Hearne said, “we cannot allow ourselves to become inured to these numbers – because homelessness is a tragedy that should never be normalised.”

“In particular, the dire prospect of thousands of children starting the new school term in the coming weeks while living in cramped, unsuitable conditions is something that should shame us all.”

Hearne stated, “under this government, evictions continue to be the main driver of homelessness. The reality is that a majority of tenants – including the more than 60,000 households reliant on the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) – are not covered by the Housing Minister’s new protections for renters.”

“This issue will not fall off the political agenda just because the Dáil is in summer recess. I will continue to hold the government’s feet to the fire by pushing for an emergency three-year ban on no-fault evictions.”

“This is the bare minimum required to prevent a further wave of homelessness.”