Reporting on Homelessness

Having clear and accurate information about people experiencing homelessness is essential. It helps the Government and local authorities make better decisions and provide the right support.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage publishes detailed reports every month and quarter. These reports are based on data from local authorities and include:

• Monthly Homelessness Report

Provides up-to-date information on the number and types of households in emergency accommodation, including age, family size, and location.

• Quarterly Progress and Performance Reports

Show why people are becoming homeless, how many are moving into permanent housing, and what actions local authorities are taking to prevent homelessness.

• Rough Sleeper Counts

In Dublin, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) carries out counts of people sleeping rough twice a year.

The reasons people become homeless are changing. While many still come from the private rental sector or due to family breakdown, more people are now presenting from:

• Outside of Ireland, including those granted international protection or joining family members.
• In Dublin, over half of the households in emergency accommodation are originally from outside the State.

Local authorities are adapting their services to meet the needs of this changing population.

The Department is working with local authorities to:

• Improve how data is collected and analysed
• Better understand the causes of homelessness
• Track how many people move from emergency accommodation into permanent homes

More detailed data is now being collected on people who become homeless due to domestic violence:

• In the second half of 2024, 117 households (3.9%) cited domestic violence as the reason for needing emergency accommodation.
• By Q3 2025, this number had risen to 189 households (4.3%).

Cuan, the new agency for Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (set up in January 2024), is developing a national data and research plan to improve services and prevention efforts.

The Department of Housing will continue to collect and report data on homelessness caused by domestic violence as part of the Zero Tolerance Implementation Plan (2025–2026).

Each year, the Government publishes a Summary of Social Housing Assessments, which shows:

• How many households qualify for social housing in each local authority area
• The types of housing needs that exist across the country

This helps inform decisions about where and how to build and allocate housing.