New homelessness record has been surpassed every month this year

In March 2018, then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told an Oireachtas committee that nationwide homeless figures, which were creeping up to 10,000 at the time, were a “disturbing” figure and declared homelessness a national emergency.

The latest statistics from the Department of Housing showed that in July 2024, 14,429 people were availing of homelessness services in Ireland, with the figure not including “invisible homelessness.”

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

Of that 14,429, 4,401 are children, marking a 66% increase since the current government took power in June 2020.

In May 2019, the nationwide figures stood at 10,253

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.

After seeing a noticeable decline after the no-fault eviction ban was temporarily introduced in late 2022, homeless figures have risen substantially since the ban was lifted in April 2023.

Social Democrats TD and housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said “the end of the road cannot come soon enough for this government.”

“Fianna Fáil promised to turn the page on the housing crisis when Darragh O’Brien was appointed Minister for Housing. In reality, they have turned a crisis into a disaster,” he said.

“As we approach the end of the line for this Government, rents, house prices and the number of people becoming homeless have all reached record levels never seen before.

“There are solutions that would help ease this crisis if they were implemented properly. The cumbersome four-stage approval process that is holding back local authorities from building social housing needs to be scrapped. In addition, Housing First tenancies must be ramped up. No fault evictions, which are pushing families into homelessness, also need to be stopped.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said “it is utterly heartbreaking to think of the 4,401 children heading back to school while living in emergency accommodation; these are not just numbers; these are young lives being shaped by an environment of uncertainty and instability.”

“Children should be growing up in a secure and nurturing environment, not in emergency accommodation where the simplest of tasks, like completing schoolwork, may become a challenge.”

“We know these figures offer just a glimpse into the true scale of the problem. Years of economic prosperity have been squandered by successive governments that have failed to address what is undoubtedly the issue of our time. The tragic result is that we now have thousands of children growing up without a place to call home. This government has utterly thrown in the towel on housing, leaving our most vulnerable to suffer.”

Bacik remarked that government’s “Housing For All” plan has been a bust.

“It has failed on every metric. House prices are up, homelessness is up, and evictions are up. The government’s housing policy has failed miserably.”

“This Government has shown itself incapable of tackling this crisis. We need a new Government with the will and the vision to address housing for everyone in emergency accommodation, but especially for the 4,401 children who deserve so much better.”

Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon, criticised the government’s lack of progress and action regarding the ongoing homeless crisis.

“As the days grow shorter and colder, the urgency of addressing the homeless crisis becomes even more pressing. Budget 2025 is just over a month away. Coupled with a looming general election and no guarantee that homeless figures will decrease before then, there is an urgent need for comprehensive, coordinated action to address the root causes of homelessness and alleviate the strain on emergency accommodation resources.”

“What is required is additional funding to emergency service provision to ensure the men women and children in emergency accommodation supported by charities are given the necessary support. We have a crisis within these published numbers where the necessary resources are not in place to address the needs of those stuck in emergency. Separate and critically needed is an exponential increase in the development of new social housing. This must be at the forefront of any Budget discussions, particularly given the recent Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) report showing that over 115,000 households at the end of 2023 were either on social housing waiting lists or in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment. This equates to over 235,000 people in Ireland, as having an “ongoing need” for housing.

“As we move towards the colder winter months, Dublin Simon Community once again calls on the government and relevant agencies to prioritise immediate measures that will tangibly reduce homelessness and provide secure, sustainable housing options for all.”