The total number of people living in State-funded emergency accommodation in Ireland has reached a record high of 17,885, according to official figures published on Friday by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The data, which captures emergency accommodation usage during the final count week of August 2026, reflects a single-month increase of 358 people compared to July's total of 17,527 and a 9.3 per cent rise over the previous twelve months. The monthly breakdown reveals that 12,055 adults and 5,830 children under the age of 18 were accessing local authority emergency services during August. It marks the first time adult homelessness in the State has surpassed 12,000. Among the total households accommodated, 7,304 were single adults without child dependants, while 2,800 were family households. Single-parent families accounted for 1,617 of the family units in emergency accommodation. Geographically, the crisis remains heavily concentrated in the capital, where Dublin local authorities reported 12,429 individuals in emergency accommodation, including 8,271 adults and 4,158 children across 1,899 families. Single adults in Dublin accounted for 4,881 of the national total. Regional increases were recorded elsewhere, with Cork registering a new record of 851 adults in emergency housing, representing a rise of more than 28 per cent compared to August 2025. The Department of Housing noted that official monthly reports measure individuals in local authority-funded emergency accommodation and do not include individuals sleeping rough, couch-surfing, living in domestic violence refuges, or residing in non-State-funded hostels. The department highlighted that second-quarter metrics demonstrated active intervention, stating that 2,904 individuals were supported through homelessness prevention or exits to secure tenancies, while over 1,000 individuals were residing in Housing First tenancies. Housing charities and advocacy groups voiced serious concern over the continuous rise, pointing to the upcoming presentation of Budget 2027 in two weeks. Ber Grogan, Executive Director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, urged the Government to prioritize homeless prevention funding, stating that homelessness must not be accepted as a new normal and appealing for targeted intervention before the budget announcement. Similarly, Focus Ireland Chief Executive Pat Dennigan called for dedicated funding under the Child and Family Homeless Action Plan to assist families in remaining in their homes. Opposition representatives, including Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne TD and Labour Party housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan TD, criticized government strategy, demanding immediate structural prevention measures and increased support for Housing Assistance Payment recipients ahead of the budget.