Homeless figures hit record high with more than 17,500 people in emergency accommodation

New figures show continued rise in homelessness, with charities urging urgent action to address housing shortages and prevent further increases.

There were 17,517 people experiencing homelessness in Ireland at the end of March, including 5,571 children, the latest figures show.

The Department of Housing’s monthly figures show an increase from 17,308 people in emergency accommodation at the end of February, and mark a rise of over 2,000 (13.6%) compared with March 2025.

The figure for last month is the highest ever recorded and includes 2,659 families experiencing homelessness.

Reacting to the latest update, Dublin Simon Community said the question is no longer how bad things are, but how long they will be allowed to continue.

“For years, this crisis has been allowed to spiral out of control. Instead of concrete solutions, we are seeing more catalysts pushing people into homelessness,” its CEO Catherine Kenny said.

“Be it the increases in notices of termination from those in private rental sector, or the number who are voluntarily leaving Direct Provision system to stay in place, the Government’s own policies are driving people towards emergency accommodation.” 

She called on the Government to take swift, concrete action, including prioritising immediate housing allocations for those living in emergency accommodation long term, while accelerating the delivery of social and affordable homes.

Focus Ireland also called on the Government to ensure more families and individuals who are long-term homeless are given access to a significant portion of social housing as it becomes available.

“Homelessness is not a foregone conclusion,” its chief executive Pat Dennigan said. “With the right policies we can turn this around.”

The charity also pointed to its new strategy published earlier this week, which aims to expand the delivery of secure and affordable homes.

Mr Dennigan added: “Homelessness has more than doubled since our last strategy began in early 2021, and it is now vital that Government shows far greater urgency in easing this human crisis.”

Meanwhile, Simon Communities of Ireland described the latest figures as “unconscionable” and said housing must be treated as a public good.

“The record numbers of people without housing demand an urgent, crisis-level response,” its executive direcor Ber Grogan said.

“This cannot be left to a single department, it requires coordinated action across the entire government. How high must the numbers climb before we acknowledge that we have reached a crisis point?”