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A century after the state's foundation, Ireland faces an acute homelessness crisis with families and children increasingly affected. This book uncovers how decades of housing policy, financial decisions and social factors have shaped today’s housing insecurity. It is the first to take a historical approach, tracing the roots of homelessness back to key policy decisions taken over the past century.
By understanding how we got here, it offers crucial insights into breaking the cycle. Essential reading for policy makers, scholars and anyone concerned about Ireland’s housing future, with lessons for other jurisdictions, this book reveals why solving homelessness requires rethinking how we build and fund housing.
'"Understanding Homelessness in Ireland Since Independence" ends on a surprisingly positive note, with the authors insisting that a "genuine collaboration" between key State agencies can wipe it out by 2036. It's essential reading for anyone with a role to play in breaking this vicious cycle.' The Irish Times
Eoin O’Sullivan is Professor in Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin.
Mike Allen is Director of Advocacy, Research and Communications at Focus Ireland.
Sarah Sheridan is an Independent Researcher and Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin.
Introduction: Colonial inheritances
1. Poor Laws, the family economy and housing policy, 1922–1948
2. The end of the Poor Laws, economic development and modernisation, 1948–1963
3. Housing policy, housing agitation and the emergence of the homelessness sector, 1964–1981
4. Two housing bills and one act, 1981–1988
5. From the implications of the Housing Act to local partnerships on homelessness, 1989-1997
6. A decade of strategies, the Celtic Tiger and austerity, 1997–2011
7. From austerity to economic recovery, 2011–2016
8. Homelessness becomes a ‘national crisis’, 2016–2020
9. Pandemic, migration and a housing crisis, 2020– 2024
10. Conclusion: Reflections on Homelessness in Ireland