60,000 homes built in a year in Ireland but we still have 14,000 homeless people

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has published its monthly data on the number of Commencement Notices (when residential construction starts) for September 2024. 

From January to September of this year, 49,007 homes have commenced, which is up over double from last year, with 259 homes commencing each working day on average.

From October 2023 to September 2024, there has been 57,885 units in total commenced, a 93% jump from last years figures of 29,961.

Dublin saw the most units commenced in a single county, with Leitrim, Longford, and Carlow having the least amounts. 

While construction activity has increased, so has the number of people experiencing homelessness in Ireland.

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In September of this year, a record-breaking 14,760 people accessed emergency accommodation services. This is up nearly 2% from the previous month.

While the high increase in housing commencements signals progress in addressing the nation's ongoing housing crisis, the rise in homelessness statistics reflects the persistent challenges still being faced by people within Ireland. 

Even with the growing rate of construction taking place, the homelessness figures suggest that these new developments are not yet meeting the needs of the vulnerable, or adequately addressing the nations demand for affordable housing. 

Yes, homes are being built, but a significant amount of the population cannot afford these, particularly those who need them most, with most houses averaging in the mid to high end pricing scale. 

Greater government intervention is needed to ensure that at least some of these new builds meet certain affordability criteria and cater to low-income households. 

Without specific targeted efforts, Ireland's homelessness crisis may very well continue to worsen, despite the clear gains in housing construction.