Big increase in the number of Waterford people homeless in 2025
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have published the December homelessness report, completing the year
New figures show a significant increase in the number of adults in emergency accommodation in Waterford last year.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has released the Monthly Homelessness Report for December 2025, completing the year’s figures.
The monthly average for adults in emergency accommodation was 117 people in 2025, compared to 101 in 2024.
The next highest was 2018, where, on average, 114 adults were recorded in local authority emergency accommodation.
However, there was some positive news for Waterford in the December report.
Last month, 109 adults were recorded in emergency accommodation compared to 112 in November.
This is the third consecutive reduction in the monthly figure for Waterford since September, which saw 121 adults in emergency accommodation.
In the same month in 2024, 116 adults were recorded.
The monthly figure exceeded 100 people in August 2024 (102) and rose from then on.
The number peaked in September 2025 but ranged between 114 and 120 from January to August.
While last month's figure was reason for some optimisim, it is too soon to say the last few months have been a turning point.
The Monthly Homelessness Report does not record families and children by county.
The report shows that in December 2025, 69 families were in emergency accommodation in the South East, which included 113 children.
In December 2024, 55 families were recorded in emergency accommodation, including 96 children.
