Government spent €80m more on homelessness services in 2024 than 2023
New figures published by the Department of Housing reveal that €418.24m was spent on homelessness services in 2024
The Government spent almost €80m more on homelessness services in 2024 compared to the previous year, as the number of people in emergency accommodation rose over the last 12 months.
New figures published by the Department of Housing reveal that €418.24m was spent on homelessness services in 2024.
This was an increase of €77.41m on 2023, when €340.83m was spent on homeless services throughout the year.
The highest expenditure was in the Dublin region, with €305.3m spent over the year.
This spending in Dublin was particularly focused on accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness, with €144m allocated to contracted commercial hotels and B&Bs.
A total of €12.5m was spent in Dublin on supported emergency accommodation centres for families, excluding family hubs. For family hubs, €26m was spent.
Focus Ireland recently warned that there has been a surge in overall spending on emergency accommodation since 2014, while citing “little investment in prevention and long-term solutions.”
Mike Allen, the Director of Advocacy for Focus Ireland, said that the State’s approach to homelessness has been “reactive,” adding that the Government has consistently underestimated the scale of the challenge.
“The talk tends to be that we have too many NGOs that are too heavily funded. The truth is we need more, they need to be more capable of providing the services needed,” he said.
Mr Allen said that while for-profit emergency accommodation providers are a “crucial” element of the solution to homelessness, they only provide accommodation, which is a passive intervention.
