REVEALED: Homeless figures jump by over 20% month-on-month in Kilkenny

The number of people accessing emergency accommodation in Kilkenny jumped from 35 to 43 (+22.8%) in the space of a month, according to the latest report from Department of Housing.

This latest figure for Kilkenny was recorded during the last full week of June.

Nationally there were 12,600 people recorded accessing emergency accommodation in June – a 1.3% increase on previous month.

Of the many complex reasons for people presenting as homeless the two most common reasons given in Q2 were relationship breakdown / family circumstance (28.2%) and notice of termination (28.8%).

Despite being a worthwhile indicator, the Department of Housing’s monthly homelessness reports do not reflect the full extent of local and national homelessness.

This is because government homeless statistics relate only to people provided with emergency accommodation by local authorities.

They do not include people frequently described as the ‘hidden homeless’ that may be sleeping rough, living in refuges, or staying with parents, relatives and friends in overcrowded conditions.

Chief Executive of Depaul, David Carroll, says that June's figures 'demonstrate the need for an emergency housing budget in Budget 2024'.