Housing charities criticise new rent rules as homelessness figures rise to 17,548

Emergency accommodation usage increased to 17,548 people in April, up from 17,517 in March. The total included 11,944 adults and 5,604 children, with 33 more children than the previous month. Over the past 12 months since April 2025, the number of people in emergency accommodation rose by 12.6%. Monthly figures exclude people sleeping rough and those staying in hospitals, asylum centres, or domestic violence shelters. The April figures followed the introduction of government rental reforms on six-year tenancies in March. Homelessness charities warned of a “truly shocking” scale of evictions, citing more than 7,000 notices issued in the first three months of the year.

"The number of people using emergency accommodation rose to 17,548 in April, an increase from 17,517 the previous month according to the Department of Housing's official figures. The total is made up of 11,944 adults and 5,604 children, an increase of 33 children on the previous month. Over 12 months since April 2025, there has been a 12.6% increase in the number of people in emergency accommodation."

"The monthly figures published by the Department of Housing do not account for people sleeping rough or those staying in hospitals, asylum centres or domestic violence shelters. The April figures come after the Government's rental reforms on six-year tenancies came into effect in March. The number of people accessing emergency accommodation has been increasing steadily for years."

"Chief executive of Focus Ireland Pat Dennigan said the Government had done "absolutely nothing" to help thousands of people facing eviction as rents were expected to rise under the new reforms. "The scale of evictions and the misery it will create is truly shocking, with more than 7,000 notices issued in the first three months of the year," he said."

""This points to the intense and growing pressure facing renters and underlines the strain on the housing system created by over a decade of failed housing policies." He added: "Government argues that this is a once-off adjustment as a specific group of landlords sell up in response to the new tenant protections. "However, if that is the case, it strengthens the case for a once-off but substantial boost in tenant in situ funding."

Read at Irish Independent