EVERY MONTH, another 175 people, including 75 children, on average, are added to Ireland’s growing homelessness numbers.

It is entirely unacceptable that this human crisis has been allowed to continue in a wealthy country like Ireland.

We simply cannot continue to move in the same direction of travel, with consistent monthly increases in the number of people entering homelessness, more than 5,000 children living in emergency accommodation and many families living in homelessness for years.

The Department of Housing’s latest homeless figures for the month of August reflect yet another record total of 16,353 people in emergency accommodation.  There are now at least 5,145 children in 2,391 families homeless in Ireland.

It is truly shocking that homelessness has nearly doubled in four years from 8,212 people in August 2021 to 16,353 in August this year. 

Homelessness has a detrimental impact on children.

Living in unsuitable temporary accommodation disrupts their friendships and their education and damages their mental and physical wellbeing and development. 

The good news is that there are solutions. Budget 2026 presents an opportunity for the government to act on those solutions – the question is whether it will it take that opportunity, or let it pass by.

With the right policy and budgetary measures, it is possible to cut the constant rise in people entering homelessness and work towards ending homelessness in Ireland for good.

Focus Ireland is calling on the government to take significant action by introducing measures that will make a real difference both to prevent people becoming homeless and to support those currently experiencing homelessness to find a home.

We are not suggesting that homelessness, especially long-term homelessness, can be ended in one budgetary cycle.

However, there are key actions that the Minister for Housing, in cooperation with the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, could take today that would mark this Budget as a watershed moment on the path to ending homelessness in Ireland.

What can be done?

A key measure would be restoring funding to the Tenant-In-Situ scheme, which is a proven preventative tool that has kept hundreds of individuals and families from entering homelessness since it was introduced by allowing local authorities to purchase homes for tenants at risk of eviction where the landlord wants to sell the property.

While the Minister for Housing has directed local authorities to continue to use funds for this scheme into early 2026, the picture for the rest of the year remains uncertain.

Clarity on funding for the tenant scheme throughout the year is urgently needed.

It is also crucial that Budget 2026 addresses the maximum monthly rent limits under the HAP (Housing Assistance Payment) scheme.

Since 2016, the standardised average rent for new tenancies has increased by 75% but there has been no change to maximum monthly rent limits since that time.

Unless the levels of general HAP and Homeless HAP are increased to make it competitive in the market in the market, homelessness will continue to rise and many people who are not currently eligible for social housing will remain homeless for many years. 

Additionally, every child in homelessness who needs a Child Support Worker should have timely access to one.

Child Support Workers, who work one-to-one with children to address their needs and try to minimise the trauma of homelessness, can mitigate against the worst impacts of growing up in emergency accommodation and assist parents to engage much more fully both with supporting their children during a traumatic experience, as well as on the process of exiting homelessness.

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Currently, there are a considerable number of children with assessed needs who are unable to access specific child supports.

Addressing this shortfall in support workers and expanding this support to parents and families could significantly improve family wellbeing while in emergency accommodation and support families to successfully exit homelessness for good.

We want to see funding allocated in Budget 2026 to resource 31 Child Support Workers, along with a commitment that all children in homelessness with more complex needs will be provided one.

A new housing plan

The Government’s new National Housing and Homelessness Plan is due to be published in the coming weeks. We believe that these measures could have a radical impact in terms of preventing people from entering homelessness and expediting exits from homelessness, in particular for those experiencing long-term homelessness.

We want the plan to deliver on the Programme for Government’s commitment to prioritise families in long term homelessness for social housing. 

We know that a large number of those families who are stuck in unsuitable temporary accommodation for long periods of time are larger families for whom there is very little appropriate housing. We want to see the new plan set out a roadmap to build the right housing in the right places.

With the right measures, Budget 2026, in tandem with the new Housing and Homelessness Plan, could be a moment when we start to turn the tide on homelessness in Ireland – if the government does what needs to be done.

Niamh Allen is the Head of Advocacy, Policy and Research at Focus Ireland, which launched its No Child Without a Home campaign this month.