DUBLIN, Ireland: Ireland's homelessness crisis has hit a devastating new record, with 15,418 people living in emergency accommodation last month, including 4,675 children, according to new Department of Housing figures.

The growing numbers have prompted urgent calls from opposition parties for a "radical" reset of the Government's housing policies. Critics warn that the real scale of homelessness is even greater, as the official tally excludes rough sleepers, people couch-surfing, and those in domestic violence refuges or Direct Provision centers.

Despite repeated pledges to tackle the crisis, homelessness has steadily worsened over the years, driven by spiraling house prices, soaring rents, and a shortage of supply—challenges that worsened further after the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the Government has pledged to ramp up homebuilding targets, it missed its goals for overall housing and social housing delivery last year. The Central Bank has also warned that Ireland is unlikely to meet its housing targets over the next three years.

Homelessness charity Simon Communities of Ireland described the situation as deeply alarming. Executive Director Ber Grogan said that homelessness figures have nearly doubled in four years and warned that without urgent action, Ireland cannot meet its goal to end homelessness by 2030.

"If we are serious about ending homelessness, we need to treat it like the crisis it is," Grogan said. "Prevention must become a top priority — it is the morally right and economically smart thing to do."

Opposition figures laid the blame squarely at the Government's door. Sinn Fein housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin accused the coalition of fuelling the crisis by slashing funding for social housing acquisition schemes like Housing First and Tenant-in-Situ.

"In Dublin City, funding has been cut by at least 50 percent, and in Cork, it's been cut completely," O Broin said. "This will mean fewer homes for vulnerable tenants and more people trapped in emergency accommodation for longer."

Labour TD Conor Sheehan said each week under the Government's handling of the crisis "brings a new low," calling the record numbers a "national scandal."

Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne also criticized the Government's approach, warning that removing rent caps and cutting tenant support schemes would worsen an already dire situation.

"There are 256 more children in emergency accommodation now than six months ago," Hearne said. "Without a radical policy shift, these numbers will only keep rising."