Focus Ireland’s 2024 Annual Report shows it supported a record 1,209 households out of homelessness amid deepening crises
This included 587 families who were helped to secure a home – another record high
Focus Ireland’s 2024 Annual Report shows that it supported a record 1,209 households out of homelessness during the year. This is a 10% increase in the numbers helped to secure a home when compared to 2023*
This figure of 1,209 includes another record high of 587 families who were helped to secure a home in 2024 – a 21% rise since 2023*.
Meanwhile, the charity supported over 18,000 people nationwide who were either homeless or at risk of losing their home in 2024
Speaking ahead of the launch of the report at the Irish Architectural Archive in Dublin, Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan said:
“Despite a stable economy and a government pledge to end homelessness by 2030, 2024 saw near-constant increases in homelessness, ending with 14,864 people affected. This was a 12% rise from 2023 (13,318) and one of the worst years on record. Amid these worsening conditions, Focus Ireland still managed to help over 1,200 households move out of homelessness by the end of 2024. This achievement was made possible by working in partnership with local authorities, Tusla, other organisations and donors.
He added: “Taking a broader view of our work a total of 18,000 people who were homeless or at risk used our services across the country and were helped in some way to deal with the challenges that confronted them. Rising homelessness and the Government’s failure to put in place policies to bring it under control have not shaken us in our belief that homelessness can be solved.”
Mr. Dennigan also called for urgent action from the Government to help ease this human crisis.
He said: “Focus Ireland has stressed that the Government’s forthcoming ‘Housing and Homelessness Plan’—due to be published in late September—must mark a radical shift in both housing and homelessness policy. In a recent meeting with Minister for Housing James Browne and senior officials, we emphasised that the new strategy must fully integrate housing and homelessness while acknowledging that homelessness often requires more supports alongside providing a home.”
Key Figures from Focus Ireland’s Work in 2024:
1,209 households supported out of homelessness (up 10% from 2023)
587 families supported out of homelessness (up 21%)
597 adult-only households supported out of homelessness (up 33%)
276 households prevented from becoming homeless
18,000 people engaged with Focus Ireland services
4,502 children supported (up 7%)
474 young people supported by Youth and Aftercare Services (up 25%)
167 homes delivered by Focus Housing Association
Focus Ireland Founder and Life President Sr Stanislaus Kennedy reflected on the organisation’s 40-year journey:
“When I founded Focus Ireland 40 years ago, I believed that homelessness could be ended in ten years. That was not a dream; it was a real possibility. But repeatedly, Governments have failed to deliver on housing. Today, the homelessness crisis has deepened to an unprecedented level. Shamefully, there are 16,000 people officially homeless in Ireland. Among them are more than 5,000 children. These are not just statistics. They are families in hotel rooms, children without stability and parents who feel invisible and powerless.’’
She added: “We know what works – prevention, social and affordable housing, strong collaboration, and housing with support. These are not radical ideas; they are proven solutions. What is needed now is the courage and political will to deliver them at scale.
“Homelessness is not inevitable. It is the result of choices made. And it can be ended by making different, better choices. We cannot allow another year to pass where record numbers of children grow up without a home. Let 2025 be the year we finally turn the tide, with compassion, yes, but also with urgency and action.”
Editors’ notes:
Focus Ireland supported 1,100 households out of homelessness in 2023.
This figure of 1,100 households includes 486 families supported out of homelessness in 2023.