‘Ever-escalating’ housing crisis continues as 16,353 people homeless in August

Homelessness has reached another record high in Ireland as the number of people using emergency accommodation rose to 16,353.

A Sinn Fein TD said that unless the government’s new housing plan contains “radical” changes, the “relentless” rise in the monthly homelessness figures would continue.

In July, the number of people recorded as homeless surpassed 16,000 for the first time – and the number of children in emergency accommodation rose above 5,000.

Figures for August published on Friday by the Department of Housing show 11,208 adults and 5,145 children accessed emergency accommodation last month.

This represents a rise in the number of children recorded as homeless between July and August, from 5,014 to 5,145.

The statistics do not include people sleeping rough, “couch-surfing” or those in hospitals, asylum seeker centres or domestic violence shelters.

The number of people accessing emergency accommodation has been steadily increasing for years.

It surpassed 10,000 people for the first time in 2019 and again in February 2020, before falling to 8,000 in mid-2021.

An eviction ban was imposed from November 2022 until the end of March 2023 in an attempt to control rising homelessness numbers.

Sinn Fein housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin said the August homelessness figures showed “significant” increases in the number of adults and children in emergency accommodation.

The Dublin Mid-West TD said emergency measures, such as an eviction ban, needed to be included in Housing Minister James Browne’s new housing plan to be revealed this autumn to “get a grip” on the scale of the problem.

He said Mr Browne was “directly” responsible to the “ever-escalating” homeless crisis and the “relentless” rise in monthly homelessness.

“James Browne is in office now almost a year, he is directly responsible for the increases in homelessness we see today, and unless there are radical changes in his revised housing plan, this crisis is going to continue.”

Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne said, based on their analysis of the quarterly homelessness figures, that two-thirds of children who are homeless in Ireland have been there longer than six months.

“We know it is deeply damaging for children to be stuck in emergency accommodation where they can’t bring friends for play dates, for birthdays, where they’re in rooms with parents, they’re in places which aren’t appropriate for children to be growing up in.”

Mr Hearne said homelessness should be central to the presidential election and said these would be the last set of emergency housing figures before the vote is held on October 24.

“Homelessness in this country is a complete national scandal.

“I think the question for Irish people is what type of president do you want?

“Do you want someone who’s going to be silent on homelessness, who is complicit in causing it, or do you want a strong voice who will highlight that homelessness is not acceptable to the people of Ireland?”

Labour’s housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan said the August figures represented a “massive increase” in homelessness, and said it was in part caused by the Government’s decision to cut back on the tenant-in-situ scheme.

“There can be no excuses. No child should be without a home. I am calling on the minister to take immediate action, reverse the cuts to tenant in situ, and start treating homelessness as the national emergency it is.”

Chief executive of Dublin Simon Community Catherine Kenny said the August homeless figures represented another set of “record-shattering” data.

“Tragically, we are at a stage where we have come to expect these increases,” she said.

“Things needed to change long ago, but it is not too late for those in power to take decisive action.

“Budget 2026 must include a clear, cross-departmental plan to tackle homelessness as a housing, health, and social emergency.

“This cannot be solved in one year — what we expect is the start of sustained investment over the coming years. We cannot expect different results if we continue acting the same way, with housing, health, and social departments working in silos.”

Focus Ireland chief executive Pat Dennigan said the figures must mark a turning point and a “bold and transformative shift” in housing and homelessness policy was needed.

“The scale of the crisis demands a strategy that is ambitious, targeted and capable of delivering real impact for the thousands of people currently without a home, and in particular the 5,145 children who are growing up in emergency accommodation.”