The Irish Government has been urged to take “meaningful” action on homelessness, with Simon Communities of Ireland calling for increased housing supply, stronger prevention measures and greater coordination between Government departments.
The call comes as the organisation launches its first national fundraising campaign, Homeless and Alone: One Big Push, which places particular focus on single adults experiencing homelessness.
The latest Department of Housing figures show that 61% of adults in emergency accommodation are classified as single. The classification includes childless couples, although many of the adults in this category are experiencing homelessness on their own.
Simon Communities says the scale of single-adult homelessness requires a more targeted response, involving housing as well as health, addiction, social protection, justice and other services.
Ber Grogan, executive director of Simon Communities of Ireland, said the organisation wants to see increased housing supply and affordability, stronger homelessness prevention, improved cooperation across Government departments and continued expansion of Housing First.
“We need one big push. And that push needs to put single adults experiencing homelessness at its centre,” Ms Grogan said.
She also said people with experience of homelessness should have a voice in the development of policies and services.
Single adults at the centre of campaign
The latest figures show that 7,244 adults classified as single were in emergency accommodation in July 2026.
That was an increase from 4,501 in July 2021, representing a rise of 61% over five years.
The figures form the central backdrop to Simon Communities’ new campaign.
The organisation is calling for a cross-government approach to single-adult homelessness, arguing that the circumstances leading to homelessness can involve several areas of public services.
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive’s data shows that the reasons people present as homeless differ between families and single adults.
For families presenting as homeless in Dublin during 2026, receiving a Notice of Termination has been the most frequently recorded reason. For single adults, the reasons are more varied and have included leaving Direct Provision, leaving informal tenancies, relationship breakdown and leaving care, hospitals or other institutions.
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive’s longer-term research also found that “other reasons” were the main category for newly homeless single adults between 2020 and 2024, including situations such as leaving Direct Provision, overcrowding and insufficient funds to pay for private rented accommodation.
Government says homelessness requires a wider response
Housing Minister James Browne addressed a Simon Communities conference in Dublin on Thursday as part of Simon Week.
The minister said homelessness needed to be considered alongside wider cost-of-living pressures and the ability of households to maintain their existing accommodation.
“Addressing the cost of living does feed into people becoming homeless as well,” Mr Browne said.
He said the Government needed to consider measures that could help people remain in their homes and described homelessness as an issue that needed to be approached “holistically”.
Mr Browne also said single-adult homelessness presented distinct challenges and required cooperation across housing, health, social protection, justice and community services.
The Government is also preparing a new Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan.
Simon Communities has welcomed measures aimed at children and families but is calling for single adults to remain part of the Government’s homelessness response.
Usher’s Island centre operating below full capacity
The funding of homelessness services was also raised at the conference, with attention focused on the Dublin Simon Community facility at Usher’s Island.
The specialist centre has capacity for 100 beds, but currently has funding to operate 75.
The facility provides services for people experiencing homelessness who have complex health and addiction needs.
Its services include detoxification, step-up and step-down intermediate care and stabilisation treatment.
The centre was developed with €38 million in capital funding through the Department of Housing’s Capital Assistance Scheme.
Operating the existing 75 beds costs approximately €10.5 million a year, while an additional €3 million would be required to operate the remaining 25 beds, according to previous reporting on the facility.
The centre’s full 100-bed capacity has been estimated to allow it to support up to 1,600 people a year, compared with more than 1,000 at its current 75-bed capacity.
The issue has previously been raised with the Government as part of preparations for Budget 2027.
Mr Browne said the centre was important and that he wanted to see it fully occupied.
Lived experience brought into homelessness debate
The conference also heard from Seán Kinsella, who has experienced homelessness.
Mr Kinsella said people who have lived through homelessness should have a greater role in discussions about policy and services.
He described the experience of being judged by his past and circumstances and said people who have experienced homelessness can provide an important perspective on how services operate.
His contribution comes as Simon Communities calls for people with lived experience to have a greater voice in the development of homelessness policy.
A wider housing pressure
The campaign comes as Ireland continues to record high levels of homelessness.
The Department of Housing’s July 2026 figures recorded 17,527 people experiencing homelessness, including 11,868 adults and 5,659 children. Of the adults, 7,244 were classified as single.
Seven in 10 homeless adults are in the Dublin region, according to figures cited by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive.
The wider housing shortage is also connected to homelessness. The Dublin Region Homeless Executive identifies structural factors including a shortage of housing supply, alongside low income, rent or mortgage costs, debt and unemployment.
M10News has previously reported on the continuing pressure facing Ireland’s housing market.
Related: Ireland’s Rent Crisis: Housing Costs Swallow More of Tenants’ Income
Housing construction has also increased, although the number of homes being completed remains below some longer-term housing requirements.
Related: Ireland’s Housing Output Rises, but Supply Gaps Remain
For people already at risk of losing their accommodation, prevention can also be critical.
Related: How to Challenge an Eviction Notice in Ireland
Focus shifts to prevention and pathways out of homelessness
Simon Communities’ campaign is focused on increasing attention on single adults while also calling for wider investment in housing supply, affordability, prevention and support services.
The organisation says tackling homelessness requires cooperation across Government departments rather than relying on housing policy alone.
The Usher’s Island funding gap provides one example of the wider challenge facing specialist homelessness services: a facility capable of operating 100 beds currently has funding for 75.
At the same time, the latest national figures show that thousands of single adults remain in emergency accommodation.
The debate is therefore moving beyond the number of people entering homelessness to questions about prevention, suitable accommodation, support services and pathways into permanent housing.
For Simon Communities, the Homeless and Alone: One Big Push campaign is intended to put single adults at the centre of that discussion.
