One year of James Browne see’s homelessness rise by 10.6%
One year of James Browne see’s homelessness rise by 10.6% - The Labour Party
- Minister prioritises institutional investors and vulture funds over people in emergency accommodation.
- Rental changes will lead to a return to economic evictions.
Labour housing spokesperson Deputy Conor Sheehan has responded to the publication of the January 2026 homelessness figures, which show 17,112 people now living in emergency accommodation, including 5,319 children.
These figures represent a 10.6% increase on the overall figure in the last 12 months (15,286 people in January 2025), and a 15.5% increase on child homelessness (4,603 children in 2025).
Deputy Sheehan said the increase of 10.6% over the past year represents a devastating escalation of Ireland’s housing emergency and called on Government to immediately introduce an emergency rent freeze, accelerate the delivery of social and affordable homes, and end policies that favour institutional investors over renters.
Deputy Sheehan said:
“The publication of the February figures lays bare the human cost of this Government’s housing failure. One year ago, 15,286 people were trapped in homelessness, including 4,603 children.
“Minister James Browne is one year in office and in that time, he has presided over a 10% increase in homelessness. This Sunday he will introduce the most significant set of rental reforms for more than a decade and that will drive the numbers in homelessness into oblivion.
“Today the number homeless stands at 17,112, including 5,319 children. Behind every one of those numbers is a family in a hotel room, a child without space to do homework, a parent lying awake at night worrying about what comes next.
“We are now hurtling towards 20,000 people in homelessness. Instead of confronting this reality, Government Ministers deflect and attempt to discredit criticism rather than take responsibility.
“Yesterday during statements on homelessness in the Dáil, the Minister launched an extraordinary personal attack on me rather than address or even acknowledge any of the policy proposals I put forward to address this.
“The figures speak for themselves. Homelessness is rising on his watch and at an alarming pace. What makes this even more distressing is the timing. On Sunday, new rental rules come into effect. We have been warned repeatedly that these changes will lead to higher rents and a return to economic evictions.
“This week, IRES REIT, Ireland’s largest private landlord, told its investors that the new rules will be a major boost for shareholders. In its preliminary results, the company projected the potential for a gradual realisation of a 25% potential rental income uplift with minimal additional costs. That should send a chill down the spine of every renter in this country.
“Rents have already doubled over the past decade. Many workers spend more than half their income just to keep a roof over their heads. When rents rise again as a result of these changes, more households will fall into arrears, more notices to quit will issue, and more families will present to already overstretched homeless services.
“This crisis did not emerge overnight, and it will not resolve itself, it is because of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s failed housing policy. Government could freeze rents now. It could at the very least introduce a rent brake that automatically halts increases when rents spike. It could dramatically expand the delivery of public housing and give local authorities the resources and authority to purchase homes at scale. It could place the right to housing at the centre of policy rather than treating it as an afterthought.
“Instead, it has rolled out the red carpet to institutional investors and vulture funds who continue to profit from the misery of rents. This is about political will. Every month that passes without decisive action, more children enter homelessness and more families lose hope.
“The Government must stop defending the indefensible, freeze rents, accelerate public housing delivery, and bring forward measures to drive homelessness down rather than allowing it to climb towards 20,000 and beyond.
“Minister Browne has had twelve months, in that time, he has slashed the tenant in situ scheme that was keeping people in their homes and out of emergency accommodation while laying out a red carpet for institutional investors and vulture funds.
“Families cannot wait another year for change and this will be his legacy unless Government take decisive action now.”