Over 11,000 now availing of homeless services in Dublin

15,580 people availed of homeless services in Ireland in April, breaking the previous record high.

April’s figures are up from the previous all-time record of 15,378.

Of that figure, 11,011 are in Dublin, the highest since records began.

The figure does not include “invisible homelessness”, such as couch surfing or people sleeping in cars.

Ever since the eviction ban was lifted in early 2023, the homeless figures have skyrocketed.

In the month before the eviction ban was lifted, January 2023, there were 11,754 people in homeless services in Ireland.

Social Democrats TD and housing spokesperson Rory Hearne said “these numbers are the direct result of policy choices made by the government; this is what happens when you do not protect vulnerable renters, or prevent them from becoming homeless.”

“These abject failures are intolerable and inexcusable – rising levels of homelessness will continue to outpace any social and affordable housing delivery from the state unless there is a radical shift in government policy.”

“The only action the Minister for Housing and this government has taken on homelessness since its reelection is to implement measures that are making homelessness worse,” the Dublin North-West TD said.

“Failing to take an interventionist approach in coordinating a national emergency response to homelessness across all local authorities, destroying the Tenant in Situ Scheme, and threatening to end rent caps have collectively pushed more and more people into homelessness.

“There has been a 47% increase in the number of families presenting as homeless in the last three years. In 2022, 2,734 families presented as homeless to local authorities, while in 2024 that number increased to 4,026 families.

“There were 966 families, including 2,000 children who had spent over 12 months in emergency accommodation in the first quarter of this year, a 127% increase on that number two years prior – almost 1,000 of those children had spent over two years without a proper home.”

Hearne called the government’s much-touted Housing For All plan a “shameful disgrace,” with homeless figures increasing by 84% since the scheme was announced in 2020.

“These numbers are real families and real children experiencing serious trauma day in and day out – their plight cannot be ignored any longer.

“Today’s figures don’t capture the true scale of homelessness – there are tens of thousands of people living in hidden homelessness,” he said.