The number of homeless people relying on emergency accommodation has risen again to a new record of 15,418.
A decade ago, in March 2015, Focus Ireland recorded 4,135 people living in emergency accommodation nationwide meaning the number of those recorded in state accommodation of this nature has increased by more than 11,000 over a decade.
These figures do not include rough sleepers, asylum applicants, refugees, individuals in domestic violence shelters, or the ‘hidden homeless’ such as those sleeping on couches, in cars, or in other non-conventional arrangements.
The figures, released by the Department of Housing show a slight rise from the previous figure of 15,378 for the month of February.
The new figures, which are reflective of numbers recorded in March 2025, show that among those homeless 4,675 are children.
The new figures show that the rate of those in homeless accommodation has risen by 10% on March of 2024, with the number of homeless children rising by 11%.
Of those affected, 1,798 are between 18 and 24 years of age, 2,969 are between 45 and 64 years of age, and 234 people are aged 65 or above.
Countrywide, there are 2,212 families living in emergency accommodation.
Figures for Dublin show that 11,024 adults and children were living in emergency accommodation last month – an increase of 76 compared to February.
Figures for the rest of the country show that Wicklow, Kildare, Meath, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon have the highest numbers.
796 people left the emergency accommodation system by accessing tenancy elsewhere, the report said.