Homelessness hits new national record as Mayo figures revealed

A new national record in homelessness has been set, with almost 17,000 people now recorded as homeless across the State.

The latest Homelessness Report published by the Department of Housing for November 2025 shows the number of people accessing emergency accommodation rose by 230 in the space of a month, bringing the total to 16,996.

In the western counties of Mayo, Galway and Roscommon, the number of homeless adults now stands at 432, an increase of 12 compared to October. Of these, 171 adults are homeless in Mayo, with 240 in Galway and 21 in Roscommon.

A further 103 adults are accessing emergency accommodation in neighbouring Sligo.

The report shows a slight improvement in family homelessness in the west, with the number of homeless families falling from 109 to 104 during the month. The number of children registered as homeless in the region also decreased, down 12 to 200.

In the North-West region, which includes Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal, there are now 53 child dependents on the homelessness list, a reduction of seven on the previous month.

Despite these regional decreases, the national picture remains stark.

A total of 5,321 children are now registered as homeless across the country, underlining the scale of the ongoing housing crisis.

The Department of Housing has noted that its figures do not include rough sleepers, women and children in refuge centres, asylum seekers, refugees, or those experiencing so-called “hidden homelessness”, meaning the true extent of the problem is likely to be significantly higher.