Record number of homeless people in Ireland as minister rows back on commitment
Housing minister James Browne said that he wanted to get the homelessness figures down “as quickly as possible"
Housing minister James Browne has rowed back on Government commitments to end homelessness by 2030.
It comes as the number of people in emergency accommodation rose to a record 15,286. This is the second time the number of people in homelessness has exceeded 15,000.
The latest report from the Department of Housing has revealed that 10,683 adults and 4,603 children were homeless in January.
The previous month, 14,864 people were in emergency accommodation, while the previous record was set in November 2023, when 15,199 people were recorded as being homeless in the country.
Speaking before the numbers were published, Mr Browne said he would not be providing specific timelines on ending homelessness but said it is his "number one priority".
His predecessor, Darragh O’Brien, had pledged to end homelessness by 2030 under the Housing for All plan. However, Mr Browne said he wanted to get the homelessness figures down “as quickly as possible".
“But in terms of timelines, there won’t be a specific timeline in relation to it,” Mr Browne said.
“The only promise I’ll ever make is to do the very best I can and I don’t want anybody in homelessness… It’s really challenging obviously.
“Supply is the only real solution to ending homelessness, so that people have somewhere that they can live and call their home.”
Pressed on whether this meant the government was moving away from homelessness reduction targets, Mr Browne said they are still committed to reducing the figures.
“We are examining all of that, how you can get there but I mean projections and dates aren’t going to deliver a single apartment,” Mr Browne said.
“What I want to do is maximise the situation where it’s build, build, build and that is ultimately end homelessness.”
The housing minister said that any increase in homelessness figures would be his responsibility, with figures for January 2025 due to be released in the coming hours.
Mr Browne was speaking as he and Taoiseach Micheál Martin turned the sod on a new housing development in Clongriffin, Co Dublin, which is being delivered by the Land Development Agency.
On housing targets, Mr Martin said that the Government must focus on increasing housing delivery from 30,000 per year to 50,000 per year.
However, the Taoiseach declined to give a projection on how many houses would be delivered this year, after the Government failed to meet their overall target for 2024.
