Almost 5,600 children living in emergency accommodation in March
According to the latest figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, there are 17,517 people living in emergency accommodation in March 2026.
Sadly, since the same month last year, there has been an increase of 2,099 people living in emergency accommodation, which equates to 13.6%.
Broken down into figures, it shows that 2,659 were families, which is an increase of 447 over the last year.
When it came to the numbers of children living in emergency accomodation, there were 5,571, which is a rise of 896 over the last year.
There were also 279 people over the age of 65, which was 19.2% increase over the last year, equating to 45 people.
In terms of single adults living in emergency accommodation, there was a 63.3% increase since 2021.
Executive Director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, Ber Grogan, said: “It’s unconscionable to think that over 17,000 people are living in emergency accommodation in Ireland in 2026.
“Each month we see the numbers increase, and unfortunately, there are still no signs of them reversing.
“At the same time, we are seeing clear warning signs in the rental sector, with eviction notices rising by 45% in recent months, affecting hundreds more households, including those relying on supports like HAP.
“We are now watching the effects of that pressure unfold in real time. More people are losing their homes, and more people are being pushed into homelessness.
“The record numbers of people without housing demand an urgent, crisis-level response. This cannot be left to a single department; it requires coordinated action across the entire government.
“How high must the numbers climb before we acknowledge that we have reached a crisis point?
“Housing must be treated as a public good.
“We need to see action on prevention, and we need accelerated delivery of one-bed, social and cost-rental homes, targeted supports for single adults on low incomes, and a rebalancing of housing allocations to ensure that individuals without dependents have a roof over their head – a basic need.”
These figures do not fully represent the ever-changing picture of homelessness here in Ireland.
It does not include those who are couch surfing, left direct provision centres with leave to remain or women and children who are being accommodated in domestic violence refuges.
These numbers also remain in their thousands, painting a sad picture of the situation across the country.