Slight drop in number of people in emergency accommodation over Christmas

By Cate McCurry, PA

The number of people who were in emergency accommodation over the Christmas period fell compared with November, housing figures show.

The latest figures from the Department of Housing show that just under 15,000 people were homeless last month.

A total of 14,864 were recorded as homeless last month, a drop of some 335 compared with the previous month.

For the same month there are also 148 fewer children and 76 fewer families accessing emergency accommodation compared with November.

Homelessness up 12% in last 12 months

Child homelessness up 14% in last year

Seasonal Dec drop sees slight fall in all categories on Nov

🆘Adults 10,354 (-188)
🆘Children 4,510 (-148)
🆘Total 14,864 (-335)
🆘Families 2,092 (76)
🆘Singles 6,847 (-82)
🆘Pensioners 229 (-6) pic.twitter.com/Hkdle6orvD

— Eoin Ó Broin (@EOBroin) January 31, 2025

The majority of people in emergency accommodation were Irish at 51.7 per cent, followed by 26.6 per cent who are non-EEA (European Economic Area) and 21.7 per cent who were EEA/UK.

Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin said homelessness has risen 12 per cent in last 12 months, while child homelessness is up 14 per cent compared with last year.

He said last month’s figures dropped “as expected”.

“The December homeless report published today shows marginal decreases in adult and child homelessness compared to November,” he said in a statement.

“This seasonal drop in homeless numbers has occurred for the last number of years as family and friends do everything they can to keep loved ones from spending Christmas in emergency accommodation.

“However, compared to December 2023 homelessness is up 12 per cent, while child homelessness is up 14 per cent in the last year. This shows that the crisis is getting worse.”

Catherine Kenny, chief executive of Dublin Simon Community, said: “While we welcome the slight decrease in the number of people in emergency accommodation around the country, we are still unable to accept the injustice of almost 15,000 without a place to call home.

“This figure represents a 12 per cent increase on the number in emergency accommodation compared to December 2023.

“As one of the wealthiest nations in the world, we cannot and should not tolerate a society where so many are left without the basic human necessity of shelter.”

Focus Ireland chief executive Pat Dennigan called on Minister for Housing James Browne to turn this one-off decline into a new momentum.

“We are encouraged that the new Programme for Government includes a commitment to reducing and working towards ending homelessness by 2030,” Mr Dennigan added.

“There is now an opportunity to develop detailed plans so this can be achieved.

“As a first step, new minister James Brown and the local authorities must deliver on the programme’s commitment to ensure that long-term homeless families benefit from the increased supply of social housing.”