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LAST UPDATE | 26 Sep 2025
THE NUMBER OF people in emergency accommodation increased last month to a record 16,353.
According to the latest figures from the Department of Housing, 11,208 adults and 5,145 children were in emergency accommodation in August.
It represents an increase of 295 people compared to the previous month’s figures, which saw recorded number of children in homelessness surpass 5,000 for the first time.
The figures show homelessness has risen 13% in the past year.
The number of homeless families also increased to 2,391.
Asked about the rising numbers, Taoiseach told The Journal in New York that ”it’s far more complex now than it was”, stating that he has heard recently that people in emergency accommodation are turning down offers of houses.
He said Cork City Council told him that 26% of those in emergency accommodation offered houses have refused offers.
When put to him that there may be lots of reasons why an accommodation offer might be turned down, such as a child needing to be near the school they attend or a person being asked to move somewhere a long distance from their workplace, Martin said:
“But if the house have been offered… those people are still on the list, still in emergency accommodation, and they’re being counted. And I question then is that homelessness,” said the Taoiseach.
“You know, if you’ve been offered a house by the local authority, I think that there’s an issue there we need to resolve,” he said.
“What we’re doing is focusing on families and on children in particular, to make sure that people in emergency accommodation are housed as quickly as possible, balancing that, of course, against the rights of people who are on the housing list for considerable length of time,” Martin added.
Official statistics do not include the number of people rough sleeping, homeless people seeking asylum, individuals living in domestic violence shelters or those without a permanent address, also known as ‘hidden homelessness’.
Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan said the figures show the need to see social housing supply increased to the government’s new target of 12,000 homes per year.
“These homes must be delivered in a way that has maximum impact on reducing long-term homelessness,” Dennigan said.
“The Programme for Government 2025 includes a commitment to focus social housing allocations on getting families out of long-term homelessness. To drive the delivery of that commitment the Government should set a deadline for ending long-term family homelessness.”
Aid organisation the Salvation Army has said that the upcoming Budget needs to prioritise homeless families to lessen the ‘devastating impact’ emergency accommodation is having on parents and children.
The charity’s family hubs in Dublin are “full to capacity”, as most homeless families and children are based in the capital.
“Some children are spending their entire early childhoods in emergency accommodation,” said Anthony Byrne, service manager at The Salvation Army’s largest family hub, Houben House in Harold’s Cross.
“While our staff do our best to support them, the impact on the family unit of long-term homelessness can be devastating and can cause far reaching consequences for youngsters in their early years and beyond,” Byrne added.
Social Democats TD Rory Hearne slammed the figures as “another shameful milestone and an indictment of this government”.
He added that, since the new government formed in December, a total of 6,600 children have been made homeless.
Hearne said: “The legacy of successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments is one of complete failures to prioritise ending homelessness.
“The coalition has failed to protect families and children from evictions and skyrocketing rents, to deliver sufficient social and affordable housing, and to invest in prevention,” he added.
Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin similarly lambasted the government’s handling of the issue.
“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael created this homelessness crisis, and they are making it worse,” Ó Broin said.
“The Minister for Housing James Browne must understand by now that what he is doing is not working. The government’s new housing plan, due for publication in the coming weeks, must include emergency measures to tackle the unacceptable rise in homelessness.”
With reporting by Sophie Finn
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