New homelessness research shows official record homeless figures only tell part of the story
Focus Ireland to launch two new reports on homelessness in Dublin and Cork in the context of other European cities
Focus Ireland launched two major new reports on homelessness, showing that the full scale of the crisis in Dublin and Cork goes beyond what is captured in the monthly official figures.
The reports, are based on findings from the European Homelessness Count a major EU-funded research project which aims to compare the extent and nature of homelessness in a number of European cities, including Dublin and Cork. Focus Ireland with the support of Trinity College Dublin led the Irish dimension of this work, in collaboration with Cork City Council and Dublin City Council.
Focus Ireland, with the support of Professor Eoin O’Sullivan of Trinity College Dublin, has now set out the findings in the context of other Irish data on homelessness in a special edition of the ‘Focus on Homelessness’ series. The second publication is a detailed report on the methodology and findings of the Irish dimension of the EU count by the lead researcher, Oona Kenny.
Together, the two publications provide one of the clearest pictures yet of the scale and nature of homelessness in Ireland’s two largest urban areas. The reports make clear the difficulties and limitations in comparing homelessness in different jurisdictions and contexts but nevertheless provides a nuanced picture of how Ireland’s homelessness crisis compares to the experiences in other cities. The report highlights the fact that the official monthly homeless figures reflect only one dimension of the many forms of homelessness that people experience.
The new research found that 8,510 adults were experiencing homelessness in Dublin across ETHOS Light categories 1 to 3 in 2025, up from 7,647 in 2024, an increase of 11.3%. In Cork, the count rose from 544 to 692, an increase of 27.2% in a year.
The study represents the first systematic attempt to measure ‘hidden homelessness’ by trying to include people about to be discharged from institutions but with no place to go, people living in non-conventional dwellings, and people using homeless day services but staying with family or friends (Technically referred to as ETHOS Light categories 4 to 6). While this element of the data is described as ‘experimental’ and does not claim to fully identify everyone in these situations it identified 1,249 adults in these circumstances in Dublin.
Speaking at the launch in Dublin City Council offices, Mike Allen, Director of Advocacy at Focus Ireland, said: “Too much of the debate still treats homelessness as only what appears in the monthly emergency accommodation figures or what people see on the street. What these reports show is that homelessness is broader, more complex and more deeply embedded than many people realise. The point here is not to argue that homelessness is a bigger problem than we think – it is big enough already- the point is that if we understand how people move from invisible forms of homelessness into emergency accommodation and out again, we are better able to prevent homelessness, reduce it and ultimately solve it.”
One key finding of the report is that while the overall level of homelessness (i.e. people in shelters and roughsleeping) in Dublin and Cork is among the highest in the 35 European cities involved (Second and sixth, but reiterating the limitations in comparing the data), both cities have among the lowest proportion of the homeless population who are forced to sleep rough.
In Dublin in 2025, the count found 190 adults in a public space, compared with 8,320 adults in homeless or temporary accommodation. In Cork, 36 adults were counted in a public space, compared with 640 in homeless or temporary accommodation.
“While having even one person who is forced to sleep rough on our streets should be totally unacceptable, it is helpful to recognise that the high priority that Irish people and their Governments have placed on tackling rough sleeping has had a positive impact. The response to this finding must not be that ‘everything is ok’ the response should be “what we are doing here is working quite well – why can’t we do more of it and end rough sleeping entirely.The report also shows that both Dublin and Cork have among the lowest proportion of people over 65 in their homeless populations.
“This is a positive reflection on the proactive policies of both cities, reflecting the concern of both council staff and elected Councillors. We need to see this as proof that policies in these areas are working, so need to be maintained and extended. It is good that we have a lower proportion of over 65s who are homeless than other cities, but we need to remember that it is also unacceptable that anyone of that age has to survive with no home.”
Another significant finding is that the number of homeless non-Irish citizens in Dublin and Cork is in the middle of the range of non-nationals in other cities and is substantially higher in many Central and Eastern European Countries.
“Even with the limitations, this data confirms the experience of homeless organisations across the Europe that the vulnerabilities created by migration are an important element of homelessness in most cities. The findings also challenge ill-informed suggestions that migration is a unique explanation for Irish homelessness and can somehow be discounted or ignored.
Focus Ireland said the findings should prompt a broader public and policy understanding of homelessness in Ireland, particularly as services continue to come under increasing pressure.
Mike Allen said: “These findings should be a wake-up call. They confirm the pattern of rising homelessness in both Dublin and Cork, and they show clearly that hidden homelessness is real. They show we are good at some things – providing shelter for people who might otherwise be rough sleeping and responding quickly to homelessness among older people stand out. We need to build on these successes and not throw them away. It also confirms that, in terms of overall homelessness, our cities face on of the greatest challenges in Europe. If we are serious about responding to this crisis, then we need to look beyond the narrowest measures and focus on prevention, long term housing supply and faster exits from homelessness into secure homes.”