Homeless figures for May 2024 break previous all-time record

The latest figures from the Department of Housing show that housing figures for May 2024 are up from the previous all-time record high of 14,009 in April 2024.

May 2024’s figures have revealed that 14,159 people are now homeless in Ireland.

Of the 14,159 homeless people in Ireland, 10,291 of these are based in Dublin.

In May 2019, 10,253 people were homeless in Ireland, but has seen a sharp increase over the last five years.

Homelessness figures have grown since the government lifted the no-fault eviction ban in April 2023, with figures from March 2023 showing that 11,988 people were homeless.

A graph displaying the number of people in emergency accommodation between April 2019 and April 2024

These figures do not include those rough sleeping, people in domestic violence shelters, refugees, or asylum seekers.

Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon, expressed her dismay at the statistics, stating, yet again, we continue to see an unrelenting rise in the figures of people seeking emergency accommodation in Ireland and in our capital city.”

“Coupled with last week’s Spring Rough Sleeper count increase of 54% in the capital over the last 12 months, the steady influx of individuals without the opportunity to transition out of the system is at crisis point.  It is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by individuals experiencing homelessness in Dublin.”

“The current situation is unsustainable and requires immediate, coordinated action from all stakeholders to reduce the pressure on the emergency accommodation system and support those in desperate need of permanent housing. We urgently need to address the bottlenecks within the housing system and create more opportunities for people to exit homelessness.”

Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan said the latest figure is further proof that the government is “completely out of ideas” on tackling the housing crisis.

110 more children being homeless than the previous round of statistics is a “shocking stat” according to O’Callaghan, and said the record was “appalling.”

“When this Government took office, there were 8,699 people in homeless emergency accommodation. Even at that time, this was unacceptably high and we were promised action to deal with the crisis.”

“Since then, homelessness has increased by 63%. This cannot continue. A disaster of this scale must be treated with the urgency it deserves.”

“We need to be building thousands of social and affordable homes every year so that individuals and families have a chance of securing a long-term stable home, and ocal authorities should be acquiring land through compulsory purchase orders to ensure a continuous supply of social and affordable homes for a growing population.”

“This Government’s third Taoiseach is continuing the appalling record of his predecessors; they are clearly out of ideas and the thousands of people without a roof over their head are paying the consequences,” he said.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the figures are a “stark reminder” of the scale of the housing crisis facing Ireland.

“The Government’s much-fanfared ‘Housing for All’ plan has failed on all metrics: house prices are up, homelessness is up, and evictions are up. The current Government has repeatedly shown that they cannot manage the housing crisis effectively. It is evident that without substantial state intervention, the housing market has spiralled out of control.”

“This comes as the Daft report published this week showed that prices sought for homes across the country rose by an average of 3.8% between April and June compared to the previous quarter,” she added.

“It is time for the Government to admit that their approach is not working. We need substantial state intervention to correct the housing market and ensure that every person in this country can live in a safe, secure, and affordable home. The time for excuses is over; it is time for action,” she said.