Budget 2026: Homeless are invisible in the budget, organisations say

Ottoline Spearman

Charity organisations are disappointed that there are no measures in place for the homeless in Budget 2026.

The Simon Communities of Ireland, who work with homeless people, said that it was deeply disappointed that there was no mention of homeless prevention.

It said that homelessness remains invisible in the budget, as well as the housing conversation.

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.

"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."

Focus Ireland said Budget 2026 has failed the record number of 16,353 homeless people, with no mention of homelessness for the second year in a row.

They said there has been a massive 25% rise in homelessness since it was last mentioned in a Budget speech in October 2023.

Focus Ireland 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.”

“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."

The organisation also said that the Budget, which was announced as making decisive measures to tackle child poverty, failed to acknowledge the plight of over 5,000 children currently experiencing homelessness – the most extreme form of poverty in Ireland today.

Focus Ireland recognised the significant increase in funding to the Dept of Housing, from just under €8 billion last year to €11.3 billion in 2026 and said the increase in allocation for new build social homes and second-hand acquisitions is positive. However, it said the details of how this will be spent remain to be seen.

Pavee Point, which provides services for the traveller and Roma community, said it was disappointed Budget 2026 fails to address the systemic issues impacting Travellers and Roma in Ireland.

“There are no measures to address homelessness and public accommodation supply,” said Martin Collins, Co-Director of Pavee Point.

“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.”

Homeless charity Depaul said that it welcomes the attempt to address child poverty and the cost of living with Budget 2026, but awaits further details as to how these supports will be targeted to those in poverty and those experiencing homelessness, particularly children and their families.

They said they welcome the targeted relief for families and renters and the social protection package, including the planned increase in social welfare payments, the minimum wage and the Child Support Payment.

However, they said this budget needed to be about impacting affordability - which is deeply linked to housing, food, and heating costs - and supporting the thousands of children and their families in homelessness, and preventing homelessness.

They added that they don’t believe the measures have gone far enough.