Homelessness in Dublin accounts for nearly 70% of all homelessness in Ireland, new Focus on Homelessness report reveals

The latest Focus on Homelessness report for Dublin highlights the scale and persistence of the homelessness crisis in the capital, with families and children experiencing the sharpest increases and local authority expenditure reaching unprecedented levels. While adult-only homelessness continues to grow, the most urgent concern is the surge in families and child dependents entering emergency accommodation, often for prolonged periods.

The report is one of a series of 9 reports, prepared with Trinity College Dublin, which look at trends in homelessness, using official Government data, in each of the local authority regions across the country.

Key Findings for the Dublin Region Report 

• Dublin accounts for ~70% of all homelessness in Ireland, underscoring the concentration of the crisis in the capital. 

• Families in emergency accommodation have increased by 131.6% since 2021 and 629.1% since 2014, with 1,626 families recorded in June 2025. 

• Adult-only households (single people) in EA increased 61.4% since 2021 and 306.2% since 2014 

• Child dependents in emergency accommodation have risen by 117% since 2021 and 546.6% since 2014, reaching 3,666 in June 2025. 

• Over half of families (52%) were in emergency accommodation for more than 12 months in Q2 2025, compared to 32% in 2022. More than one in four families (26%) were there for over 24 months. 

• Exits from homelessness to private rental housing have collapsed, falling from 60% of all Dublin exits in 2021 to just 26% in 2025. This collapse in exits to the private rental market is visible in all regions, but most severe in Dublin 

• Emergency accommodation dominates growing budgets: 88.4% of Section 10 expenditure in Dublin goes to emergency accommodation, which has increased by 105.6% since 2020 and 1,100% since 2013.

Launching Buswell Hotel Dublin City this afternoon, Mike Allen, Director of Advocacy at Focus Ireland and report Co-author said: “The figures show that, while all forms of homelessness are growing, families and children are bearing the brunt of the housing crisis in Dublin. Behind every percentage increase are children growing up in emergency accommodation, often for extended periods. The fact that Dublin accounts for nearly 70% of all homelessness in Ireland is stark and deeply troubling.

He continued: “We are spending more than ever on homelessness, both at national and local level. But the balance is wrong. Emergency accommodation dominates the budget, while prevention and long-term housing solutions remain underfunded. Unless resources are shifted, we will continue to see increases in the numbers of individuals and families entering homelessness.”

Allen also highlighted the collapse in exits to the private rental sector: “The near disappearance of private rental exits is deeply worrying. Families and single people who once relied on the private rental market for a home, supported by schemes like HAP, now find that pathway closed. While the supply of social housing is increasing, it is not keeping pace with the decline in the private rental sector. To reduce homelessness we need more social homes, an increased proportion of them going to long-term homeless households and a new approach to the private rental sector which makes it an affordable and secure route out of homelessness.”

The report underscores the urgent need for stronger prevention measures, expanded social housing, and sustained investment in tenancy supports to break the cycle of homelessness for families and children in Dublin.

Focus Ireland warns that without a rebalancing of expenditure—away from emergency accommodation and toward prevention and long-term housing—the capital risks locking families into homelessness for years to come.

The authors of Focus on Homelessness are Prof. Eoin O’Sullivan (School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin), Aisling McGovern (Focus Ireland Research Officer) and Mike Allen (Focus Ireland Advocacy Director). The full report is available at https://www.focusireland.ie/focus-on-homelessness/ and see attached.