[1][2] During the 20th century, homelessness in Ireland was associated with older males who may have had addiction or alcoholism issues.
However, since the 1990s and into the 21st century, it has been recognised that the homeless population includes increasing numbers of women and children.
[3][4] Commentators have attributed the ongoing events (described in the news media as the 'homelessness crisis')[5] to the post-2008 Irish economic downturn and 'subsequent fiscal adjustments',[6][7] and the parallel impacts of reduced familial incomes, mortgage arrears[8] and rental increases which followed impacts to housing supply.
[14][15] By mid-2019 this had increased further, with figures indicating that more than 10,000 people were homeless in Ireland, with approximately one-third of these being children.
[19] A "Homelessness Report" by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in November 2016 indicated that while there were hundreds of homeless families and individuals in other regions, the issue was most prevalent in the Dublin area.