Louth homeless numbers on the rise again after dip at Christmas

Following a slight fall during the Christmas period, homeless numbers in Louth and the North East region rose again in January, according to the latest figures released by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

165 adults accessed local authority managed emergency accommodation during the week of 19-25 January 2026 in the North East region, up from 155 in December. Of the 155 adults: 142 were in Louth, up from 142 in December; and 23 were in Monaghan and Cavan combined, the same number as recorded in December.

Of the 165 adults in January, 104 were male and 61 were female. 34 were aged 18-24 years old; 86 aged 25-44; 40 were aged 45-64; and five were aged 65 years old and over.

113 were Irish citizens; 25 were EEA/UK citizens; and 27 were non-EEA citizens.

There was also a rise in the number of families accessing local authority managed emergency accommodation in the North East in January.

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20 families, with 43 children were recorded as having accessed local authority managed emergency accommodation during the week of 19-25 January 2026, up from 18 families with 35 children in December.

Nationally, 11,793 adults and 5,319 children, giving a total of 17,112 people, were recorded as homelesstate.in January. This is up from 16,734 in December when a fall was recorded in homeless numbers, and is the highest number of people ever recorded as homeless in the State.

This figure that does not account for those rough sleeping, refugees, asylum seekers, individuals in domestic violence shelters, or those in hidden homelessness—people sleeping in cars, on couches, or in unsuitable living conditions.

Commenting on the latest figures, Dundalk Simon Community said that the first figures of the year underline that the crisis remains deeply entrenched and that sustained pressure across housing, affordability and support systems continues to push people into homelessness.