27th June 2025
With homeless figures hitting another record high, the Simon Communities of Ireland is asking a critical question: who cares?
The latest figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage show that the number of men, women, and children experiencing homelessness reached 15,747 in May 2025.
This represents an increase of 167 people compared to the previous month. Alarmingly, 4,844 of these are children.
Over the 12 months since May 2024, the data reveals a staggering increase of 1,588 people (11.2%) in emergency accommodation:
- 2,273 were families, marking a 10.8% (222) increase over the year
- 4,844 were children, showing a 12.2% (528) rise in the same period
- 1,851 were 18-24 year olds, marking a 9.2% (156) increase over the year
These figures do not represent a static number of people in Emergency Accommodation. It is important to note that some people do exit homelessness, but unfortunately the number of people entering homelessness continues to be greater than the number exiting.
Ber Grogan, Executive Director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, said:
“The Simon Communities of Ireland cares that thousands of children are growing up in emergency accommodation. We care that individuals and families are stuck in limbo, unable to access secure housing. We care that the solutions we have presented time and again have not been acted on with the urgency this crisis demands. We now want the Government to say they care about ending long-term homelessness, and that they care about affordable housing. Our leaders can – and must – show they care, through decisive action.
We haven’t seen a decrease in homeless figures for five months – and the last drop was due to temporary seasonal relief over Christmas. This is not progress. We don’t want to keep breaking these records. Behind every number is a person – a family, a child, a life in crisis. The time to act is now.”
ENDS
For further information contact Nicola Anderson 086 200 9691 / communications@simoncommunity.com
