THE NUMBER OF people in emergency accommodation increased by 45 last month, reaching 17,527.

According to the latest figures from the Department of Housing, some 11,868 adults and 5,659 children were accessing emergency accommodation in July.

It represents a record high number of children in emergency accommodation.

Some 7,244 of those were single households, while 2,724 were family households.

Homelessness levels first passed 17,000 at the start of 2026 and hit a record high of 17,548 during the month of April.

Last month’s figures are just 21 short of the record high. 

Figures published by the department last month saw 17,482 people in emergency accommodation during the month of June, which was an increase of 35 on the previous month.

Of that number, some 5,620 were children – a record high at the time which was surpassed last month. 

‘Lack of political urgency’

The Simon Communities of Ireland has criticised a “lack of political urgency around Ireland’s homelessness crisis”.

Ber Grogan, executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, noted that the Dáil was recalled today around fuel prices and said “we need to see that same sense of urgency when it comes to homelessness”.

“Ireland’s homelessness crisis has deepened over the last decade, and there’s still no sense of urgency from Government,” said Grogan.

She added that it is “increasingly frustrating that homelessness does not appear to be seen as a crisis by our elected representatives”.

Grogan added that “we cannot continue to respond to homelessness once someone has already lost their home and entered emergency accommodation” and that “prevention must be the priority”. 

She said this means “identifying people and families at risk of homelessness earlier, protecting people from losing their homes in the first place and ensuring there are realistic pathways into secure, affordable housing”.

“If TDs can return to the Dáil during their summer break when they believe an issue requires immediate attention, then surely the thousands of people living without a permanent home deserve the same political urgency,” added Grogan.

“Homelessness is a crisis. It is not going away, and it will not be solved by emergency accommodation alone.”

Focus Ireland meanwhile said the “figures were particularly concerning as children have returned to school and many young people are preparing to return to college and further education”.

Its CEO Pat Dennigan said that “as children settle back into classrooms and young adults prepare to begin a new academic year in colleges and universities across the country, it is deeply troubling that so many are doing so while living in emergency accommodation”.

“We cannot allow a generation of young people to have their education and future opportunities undermined by the ongoing housing crisis,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dennigan remarked that the government data “still fails to include information about the age of children or the length of time that they remain homeless”.

“The data published for Dublin shows that six out of ten families have been homeless for over one year and an appalling 30% have been homeless for over two years.”