Charity groups have expressed disappointment over the lack of specific provisions for homelessness in Budget 2026, reports Breaking News.
The Simon Communities of Ireland, an organisation supporting homeless individuals, said it was extremely disappointed that homelessness prevention was not mentioned at all.
It stated that homelessness continues to be ignored both in the budget and in broader housing discussions.
Ber Grogan, Executive Director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, said: “While it’s refreshing to hear that housing has been at the forefront of Government’s minds, Budget 2026 certainly seems to be focused on landlords and developers, with many measures being announced to encourage housing construction,” reports Breaking News.
“We urgently need a clear commitment to increasing homeless prevention funding to prevent people from entering homelessness in the first place. It is disappointing to hear the Government speak about running multiple surpluses whilst the number of people being forced into homelessness grows month on month. Over 5,000 children are living in homelessness and are being robbed of their childhoods. This is not just an economic issue – but a moral one,” reports Breaking News.
Focus Ireland said that Budget 2026 has let down the record number of 16,353 homeless people, as it failed to mention homelessness for the second consecutive year.
The organisation highlighted that there has been a dramatic 25% increase in homelessness since it was last addressed in a Budget speech in October 2023.
Focus Ireland’s Director of Advocacy, Mike Allen, said: “This Budget included a lot of mentions about ‘targeting the most vulnerable’, but when it comes to housing, there was no targeting towards providing more low-cost or affordable housing for people who are struggling every day,” reports Breaking News.
“With the new Housing and Homelessness plan expected to launch in the coming weeks, the absence of any reference to measures tackling Ireland’s record levels of homelessness raises serious concerns about the Government’s commitment to addressing one of the nation’s most pressing challenges,” reports Breaking News.
The charity also noted that although the Budget was framed as taking decisive steps against child poverty, it overlooked the crisis faced by over 5,000 children currently homeless – calling it the most extreme form of poverty in Ireland today.
Focus Ireland acknowledged the significant boost in funding to the Department of Housing, which is increasing from just under €8 billion last year to €11.3 billion in 2026, and described the added investment in new social housing and second-hand acquisitions as a positive move. However, they stressed that the specifics of how this money will be spent are still unclear, reports Breaking News.
Pavee Point, a group supporting the Traveller and Roma communities, said it was disappointed that Budget 2026 did not address the systemic challenges affecting these groups.
“There are no measures to address homelessness and public accommodation supply,” said Martin Collins, Co-Director of Pavee Point, reports Breaking News.
“Homelessness is an issue that impacts 39% of the Traveller population, which is a young population, and we don’t see any real steps forward on this issue in this budget,” reports Breaking News.
Homeless support charity Depaul said it appreciated the Budget’s efforts to tackle child poverty and the cost of living, but is waiting to see how these supports will specifically reach people living in poverty or homelessness — especially children and families.
The charity said it welcomed the support measures for families and renters, along with the social protection package, which includes planned increases in welfare payments, the minimum wage, and the Child Support Payment, reports Breaking News.
However, the organisation stated that the core focus of this Budget should have been on improving affordability — a major issue tied to housing, food, and energy costs — while supporting the many children and families experiencing homelessness, and preventing further homelessness.
They concluded that they do not believe the measures announced in Budget 2026 have gone far enough, reports Breaking News.
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