Supporting Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness

The Government knows that staying in emergency accommodation can harm people’s wellbeing, especially children. We will make children’s needs a top priority when tackling homelessness.

• New laws will make sure that decisions about housing for homeless families consider the best interests of the child.
• A major goal of this plan is to reduce long-term family homelessness and shorten the time children spend in emergency accommodation.
• Large families often stay longer in emergency accommodation because there are not enough four-bedroom homes. This plan will increase the supply of these homes through continued investment in social housing.
• Local authorities will prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans to match housing supply with local needs. This includes more one-bedroom homes for single adults and more four-bedroom homes for large families.

• €100 million will be provided in 2026 to buy second-hand homes for families who have been in emergency accommodation the longest.
• Extra supports under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) will continue, including help with deposits and advance rent payments.

• The Government will review social housing delivery and tenancy supports to help more families and children leave emergency accommodation quickly.
• The Department of Housing will work with local authorities to make sure allocation schemes meet the needs of homeless families, especially those with children.

• Domestic violence is a common reason families become homeless. The Department of Justice leads policy on this issue through the Zero Tolerance strategy (2022–2026).
• One key action is removing legal barriers so victims can stay in their homes where safe.
• Local authorities will support victims to remain or return home where possible and prioritise housing for survivors of domestic violence.
• Victims moving to a new local authority will get full social housing supports, including HAP, immediately.
• A new protocol will allow victims to transfer time spent on a housing list to another local authority.

• Homelessness should be rare, short, and not happen again.
• The Department will publish quarterly data on families and children leaving homelessness and work to reduce the time spent in emergency accommodation.
• A new Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan will be developed, guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It will focus on prevention, faster exits, and better supports for children and parents, including education and nutrition.

Key stakeholders will be consulted to make sure the plan is strong and effective