Dessie Ellis (Dublin North-West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The national total for those considered homeless is 16,734. Of that figure, 5,188 are children. These figures released in December 2025 show a shocking increase in both adult and child homelessness. These figures also mask the real number of those who are homeless because they do not tell us how many people are couch surfing and sleeping rough on the streets or in their cars.

Eviction notices from landlords have continued at pace, with tenants having nowhere to go after eviction, except the homeless services. The new differential rent scheme being introduced in April by Dublin City Council has created additional problems. From the number of people who have contacted my constituency office in recent days, it is almost certain that a new cohort of people will enter homelessness. The income-based assessment approach has had the consequence of adversely affecting many tenants, as the calculation on rent owing is now made according to who is the highest earner in a household and not who is the primary tenant. This has substantially increased rents for many of the most vulnerable in our communities, particularly old-aged pensioners. One old-aged couple's rent is increasing from €63 to over €80, over €20. It is absolutely terrible.

In a housing crisis, as people struggle to get on the property ladder, many adult children have remained in the family home to save money for a deposit or mortgage. Their parents are now being punished for helping their children save for a house because if their earnings are more than their parents, their parents' rent goes up substantially. This has been a big shock for many people who are already struggling financially. Parents may now have to delve into their savings to pay the extra rent or consider putting their children out of the house. I advise anyone in financial difficulty to apply to the council's hardship fund to assist them in their financial distress and alleviate pressures on the family income.

While the reasoning for these increases in rent is that the moneys will go toward housing maintenance, insulation of homes, adaptions etc., the reality is the Department of housing is not sufficiently funding councils, which have some of the oldest properties in the State. Basically, the Government is putting the critical funding required for maintenance back on the poorest and most vulnerable in our communities. We can see this Government is incapable of resolving the homelessness crisis, which will continue to get worse.

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