Special report: Faces of homelessness have been changing over the last decade

The near total wipeout of social housing following the financial crash is at the root of the 'HAP trap' cost
The rate of homelessness ballooned from 8,830 the month the Rebuilding Ireland plan was released to 16,966 the month its successor, the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, arrived. File Picture: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty

The rate of homelessness ballooned from 8,830 the month the Rebuilding Ireland plan was released to 16,966 the month its successor, the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, arrived. File Picture: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty

Mon, 08 Jun, 2026 - 06:00
Paul Hosford, Elaine Loughlin, and Ber Grogan

In 2021, the Department of Housing counted 7,991 people in Ireland as homeless.

That figure, believe it or not, was an achievement, the lowest it had been for four full years.

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