Almost 10% increase in homelessness year on year
Almost 10% increase in homelessness year on year - The Labour Party
- Housing crisis sees 5,620 children living in emergency accommodation
Labour’s housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan TD has condemned Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s failure to take meaningful action to tackle the systemic issues driving homelessness.
Figures show that 17,482 people including 5,620 children are living in homelessness, representing an almost 10% increase year on year (15,915 living in homelessness June 2025).
Deputy Sheehan said:
“No child should be growing up in emergency accommodation but under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil this situation has become normalised. Behind each number is a child missing out on a stable home, a parent under immense pressure and people whose lives have been put on hold.
“In just one year, the number of people living in emergency accommodation has risen by 1,567, while the number of children has risen by 662.
“To see an almost 10% year on year increase in the level of people accessing emergency accommodation is evidence that this Government has thrown in the towel on tackling the system issues driving homelessness.
“The Labour Party will not be found lacking when it comes to putting forward solutions to end homelessness and tackle the housing crisis, but time and again we see Minister Browne running away from this enormous societal failure rather than working to fix it. A housing system that leaves 5,620 children without a permanent home is failing those it is supposed to protect.
“These figures are not inevitable but are the consequences of years of failing to deliver enough social and affordable housing. Just this week we saw the slow start to social housing building projects, which will come nowhere close to the scale recommended by the Housing Commission.
“Official figures show that approximately 58,000 households are trapped on social housing waiting lists, waiting for housing support, while the true level of unmet need is far higher when HAP reliant households are included.
“Government has allowed the private rental market to effectively become a pipeline into homelessness. The Residential Tenancies Board figures show that more than 7,000 eviction notices were issued in the first three months of 2026, a 51% increase on the same period last year.
“Over reliance on the private market has failed. Rents now stand at an average of €2,100, beyond the reach of ordinary hard working people. Ireland’s renters rights continue to be weakened and chronic underinvestment in social and affordable housing is forcing more and more people into housing insecurity.”