There has been a dramatic increase in the number of people forced into hidden homelessness with the number of families “couch surfing” increasing by 1,260 per cent in the last three years.
This is what the Oireachtas Housing Committee will hear today, just days after homelessness figures hit new record levels, surpassing 12,200. Representatives from Simon Communities of Ireland, Threshold, and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) will be giving the update.
And in its opening statement, Threshold will tell TDs and Senators that since 2022 it has seen “an increase in the number of people who are at risk of homelessness, who are forced into hidden homelessness, who are overholding”. They will say: "In Q1 of this year, 68 households were forced to “couchsurf”, staying with family and friends, in what they hope is a temporary set-up while searching for a new home.
