Total of 17,548 people in emergency accommodation in April, including 5,604 children

Kenneth Fox

There were a record-breaking 17,548 people in emergency accommodation in April 2025, according to new figures from the Department of Housing.

This included 11,944 adults and 5,604 children across 2,707 families.

Compared to the month prior, that is an increase of 31 people in emergency accommodation and a 13 per cent rise on last year.

Overall, child homelessness is up by 17 per cent since April 2025.

Dublin accounted for an overwhelming 8,349 people or 69 per cent of the overall figure.

Speaking about the figures, The Salvation Army said there were 1,885 homeless families in Dublin alone, including 4,126 children.

“Summer is a difficult time for many families as tensions over the lack of space within rooms tend to be magnified,” said Anthony Byrne, service manager at Houben House family hub in Harold’s Cross, Dublin.

“Younger children and teenagers are out of school for a prolonged period, so there could be four or five family members sharing one room.

“The normal dynamics of summer; inviting friends over, enjoying a barbecue or having a family get together, simply do not exist, and as an inevitable consequence, people’s mental health is definitely affected.”

One 17-year-old teenager, who has lived at Houben House for two years, said: “It’s hard going, from being used to having a house and having your own space, to not being able to talk to your friends and bringing them over, and being fully honest with them (about his homelessness). It’s hard to lie about those kinds of things.”

One of the biggest providers of homeless accommodation in the capital, The Salvation Army, said it provides 250,000 bed nights per year in its five individual and family homeless centres across Dublin.

Meanwhile, Focus Ireland is calling on the Government to act urgently by significantly increasing funding for Tenant in Situ purchases to protect families and individuals receiving State housing supports, such as the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), who are at very high risk of losing their homes and entering homelessness.

With demand for emergency accommodation already at unprecedented levels, there is also a serious risk that suitable accommodation will simply not be available for households presenting to homeless services as Notices of Termination begin to expire. 

Pat Dennigan, Focus Ireland chief executive, said: “While the Government says they anticipated the increase in eviction notices following changes to rental rules, the problem is that they have done absolutely nothing to help the thousands of people now facing eviction.

"The scale of evictions and the misery it will create is truly shocking, with more than 7,000 notices issued in the first three months of the year. This points to the intense and growing pressure facing renters and underlines the strain on the housing system created by over a decade of failed housing policies.” 

He said, “Government argues that this is a once-off adjustment as a specific group of landlords sell up in response to the new tenant protections. However, if that is the case, it strengthens the case for a one-off, substantial boost to Tenant in Situ funding.

"As many of the Notice to Quits will have weeks to run, it is not too late to introduce such a protective measure to prevent families and individuals from being pushed into homelessness during this period.” 

Where families and individuals do end up losing their homes as part of this eviction surge, they will struggle to find new places they can afford as rents soar due to the other strand of the Government’s pitiless rent reforms.