According to the 2024 Winter Count by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), most rough sleepers in Dublin were Irish men ranging from young to middle-aged.
Over the week of November 6th to November 12th 2024 across the four Dublin local authorities, there were 134 people confirmed as rough sleepers during – an increase of 16 on the same period the year before.
The count was conducted by the Dublin Simon Community Outreach team.
“Of the 134 individuals found rough sleeping, 104 individuals (78%) had previously been assessed or were assessed during the count week by the Local Authority,” the DRHE said in a statement.
“The majority of the 104 individuals with PASS IDs were male, Irish, and aged between 26–45 years.”
The DRHE also found that 43% of individuals were using tents, while the remaining 57% did not.
“12 unique couples (24 individuals, of whom 17 had PASS IDs) were found rough sleeping, highlighting the need for additional couples’ beds,” the statement added.
The figures don’t include International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) clients, who are handled by the Department of Integration.
“The purpose of the count is to gather information on patterns of rough sleeping, identify chronic rough sleepers for the Housing First programme, and determine the health and/or accommodation services needed to meet each individual’s needs,” the DRHE said.
“The number of people rough sleeping in the Dublin Region varies nightly. While a core group regularly sleeps rough, others move between rough sleeping, emergency accommodation, insecure accommodation, and staying with family or friends.
“Some individuals experience rough sleeping for a very brief, transitional period. Conducting the count over a week provides a clearer picture of these different experiences.”
They added: “The DRHE sincerely thanks Dublin Simon Community, An Garda Síochána, the HSE, and staff from the four Dublin Local Authorities for their coordinated efforts to end rough sleeping.”