A growing number of people leaving the Direct Provision system are entering homeless services in Dublin, according to the statutory authority responsible for addressing homelessness in the capital.
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) furnished figures to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) almost three weeks ago showing that 1,758 individuals presented as homeless over a six-year period.
The letter from the DRHE Director Mary Hayes to the PAC highlights a sharp increase in people leaving Direct Provision and entering homeless services in recent years.
In 2020, 39 people became homeless after leaving Direct Provision, this rose to 243 by 2023, before leaping to 638 in 2024.
In 2025, 674 individuals exited into homelessness.
It is an issue that has been highlighted by various organisations working with refugees since 2024.
The figures from the DRHE show that the rise has been driven primarily by single adults, who accounted for 1,362 of those presenting.
However, families have increasingly been affected, with 69 families, including 127 children, entering homelessness in 2025.
The letter indicates that the PAC requested "observations regarding people leaving International Protection and the profile of people presenting themselves as homeless" from the DRHE.
As of January 2026, 36.3% of adults in emergency accommodation in the Dublin region (3,005) were non-EU or non-EEA nationals.
Of these, 58% were single adults, while 42% were adults in families.
The document notes that leaving Direct Provision has become a significant driver of homelessness, accounting for 25% of new single adult cases and 7% of family presentations in 2025.
It notes that households who are requested to move out of IPAS and do so voluntarily to avoid changing schools and/or for employment reasons, may end up seeking emergency accommodation at a later date, after insecure and temporary arrangements fall through.
The five primary reasons for families entering homeless services in the Dublin region according to the DRHE are: notices of termination – 37%; relationship breakdown with a parent – 10%; presentations on foot of a grant of family reunification 8%; single adult in emergency accommodation becoming a family household following the birth of a child/custody – 8%.
