Emergency accommodation figures hit ‘shocking' all-time high
The data shows that 10,805 adults and 4,775 children were accessing emergency accommodation during the last full week of April.
In general, the number of people accessing emergency accommodation has been steadily increasing from approximately 8,000 in mid-2021.
The statistics do not include people sleeping rough, couch-surfing or homeless in hospitals or prisons, or those who are in shelter for asylum seekers or domestic violence centres.
Mike Allen, director of advocacy at Focus Ireland, said the figures show the 'Government's current approach to homelessness is failing'.
He said: 'With the introduction of the new Housing Plan, the incoming minister has a vital opportunity to reset the policy. We have outlined our evidence-based recommendations in a detailed submission to support this change.
'It is totally unacceptable that there's a record number of 4,775 children homeless as we approach summer.
'This should be a carefree time for children as they look forward to school holidays and the longer evenings.
'Instead of this, the harsh reality for many children who are homeless is that they are studying for exams while living in family hubs or hotels without anywhere suitable to even do their homework.'
The Simon Communities of Ireland urged the Government to 'act decisively' on homelessness.
Ber Grogan, executive director of the organisation, said: 'This is the highest level of homelessness Ireland has ever seen, and it's unacceptable.
'Behind every number is a person – a family, a child, a life in crisis. We are pleading with Government leaders and local authorities to act decisively before this emergency becomes completely irreversible.'
The organisation said there should be 'real investment' in prevention.
'On top of the rising numbers, we're now facing unacceptable constraints on our ability to respond.
'In certain areas, there is no funding for second-hand housing acquisitions under tenant in situ (TIS) or the Homeless Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS).
'We are deeply concerned that these decisions will result in reduced supply and increased vulnerability for those already most at risk.'
The Dublin rough sleeper count for spring, carried out over the week of March 31 to April 6, was published earlier this month and showed a decrease in rough sleeping since winter and spring 2024.
The number of individuals engaged with by outreach teams during the week was 121, a decrease of 13 (9.7%) on winter 2024 when 134 were found to be rough sleeping during November 4-10 week.
It represents a decrease of seven (5.5%) on the spring 2024 count carried out in the week of April 8-14.
Sinn Fein housing spokesman Eoin O Broin TD said the Government must 'urgently fund vital homeless services and reverse recent funding cuts'.
'The latest increase is shocking but not surprising. It is a stain on this Government and our society.
'We cannot allow ourselves to accept this as normal. We must continue to be outraged by the fact that so many children are forced into emergency accommodation due to Government decisions.
'It is clear that we need urgent emergency action to tackle this crisis. Government must immediately reverse the funding cuts to vital homeless supports such as Housing First and the tenant-in-situ scheme.
'It is time to get feet on the street and put as much pressure on Government to take emergency action now to tackle the housing and homeless crises.'
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Dr Brown said the 1809 act is a 'problematic' and 'discriminatory' piece of legislation which he said needs to see reform. He explained: 'What it does is essentially give rise to an evidentiary presumption that a woman has killed her own child that was born alive if she concealed her pregnancy. 'The prosecution don't need to prove the baby was born because it is designed to cover cases where a woman can be shown to have been pregnant and no child has appeared at all so it's got that latent flexibility in it that means that the prosecution don't need to prove the child was born alive. "It then puts the burden on the woman to prove that she either aborted or gave birth to a still born child. 'For all that this is openly discriminatory and quite harsh, it is actually a piece of legislation that is brought in for reasons of mercy because before 1809, it was act the mothering of children that applied here which meant that if you were convicted under these circumstances you were guilty of the crime of murder, a capital crime at the time.' Under the 1809 act, the maximum sentence for concealing abortion is two years. Between 1922 and present day, The Herald understands five women have been prosecuted under this 1809 statute in Scotland. There has been one 21st century case involving a woman in respect of her own child. Any other abortion case has involved abortion providers. Out of all these cases, no woman was acquitted. 'If it's brought in, it tends to be a conviction or a plea,' said Dr Brown, who has scoured the archives on these cases. 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