Dublin Simon's outreach team, which offers support to people who are homeless, experienced an increase in demand for services last year compared to 2023.
Interactions with homeless people on the streets of Dublin rose by 25% in 2024 which the charity said reflected a "deepening crisis".
According to its 2024 impact report, there was an 8% increase in the number of people who accessed emergency shelters in the capital compared to a nationwide increase of 10%
The charity accommodated more than 1,250 men, women and children nightly across emergency, treatment and housing services and provided 350,000 meals.
While much of its work centres on responding to homelessness on the streets, it offers other services like one-to-one counselling and crisis suicide intervention.
In October 2024, the charity opened the first-of-its-kind Health and Addiction Care Facility at Usher's Island, dedicated to providing medical treatment to people experiencing addiction and homelessness.
The collaborative project between Dublin Simon, the Department of Health and the HSE is operating 63 beds.
While there is capacity for 100 beds, further funding is required for all the beds to become operational.
CEO Catherine Kenny has said that providing early interventions and specialised care, the facility reduces the demand for hospital emergency department beds, shortens hospital stays, and frees up outpatient capacity.
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In 2024, 814 people received medical and residential treatment across the charity's detox and recovery services.
Once fully operational, Usher’s Island will support between 1,200 and 1,400 adults annually.
As an Approved Housing Body (AHB), the Dublin Simon Community "made home a reality" for 1,570 people.
The charity has called for a well-resourced, incentivised national housing plan that puts vulnerable populations at its core, with social and affordable housing increased to 20% of the national housing stock.
It suggested a minimum of 20% of allocations reserved for people experiencing long-term homelessness, sized appropriately to their needs.
The charity has also used the report to say that red tape is slowing down the delivery of vital social housing projects and needs to be removed.
