The True Scale of Social Housing Demand in Ireland

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Town planning

Ireland’s housing crisis remains one of the most pressing social and economic challenges. The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) recently published a detailed analysis. 'Ongoing Need 2024 – The True Demand for Social Housing', a report that analyses the persistent demand for secure, long-term social homes across the country. The report notes that a 'key element in addressing Ireland’s housing challenges requires understanding the scale of current demand for, and reliance on, social housing supports'.

 

Traditionally, housing need is measured by focusing only on the active households on local authority social housing waiting lists. However, the PBO argues that this snapshot underestimates the true scale of the demand because it does not include households in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). These households are deemed to have their social housing needs met, however, they can ask to remain on the social housing waiting lists. 

For this report, the PBO’s definition of “ongoing need” includes those households on social housing waiting lists and those households in active HAP tenancies who still lack secure, long-term housing. This broader definition reflects the reality that HAP tenants can lose tenancies and do not have the long-term security of a social home, meaning their housing needs are not truly resolved. 

Key Findings: The True Demand for Social Housing

According to the PBO’s latest data, 113,512 households in Ireland had an ongoing need for permanent, suitable social housing at end-2024. This includes 59,941 households on the social housing waiting list as well as the 53,571 households in active HAP tenancies still needing secure homes. Although slightly lower than the 2023 estimate (115,425 households), the figure remains extremely high, showing the scale of unmet need. These numbers paint a much larger picture than official waiting lists alone, which miss hundreds of thousands of people relying on temporary or insecure housing supports.

The report highlights a varied demographic spread among those with ongoing needs. Many are single-adult households, but families with children also make up a significant portion of demand. While full age-breakdowns are detailed in the report, national trends point to high proportions of demand among parents with young children and older adults nearing retirement age. Supporting this, wider research shows that millions of people are affected indirectly by housing insecurity, with children frequently cited as one of the most vulnerable groups in housing need.

Beyond the Numbers

The PBO emphasises that traditional measurements underestimate social housing demand because HAP recipients remain dependent on private rented accommodation. While HAP helps people stay housed today, it does not offer the security and stability of a social house. Therefore, many households are at risk of repeated displacement and ongoing insecurity. Added to this, Ireland’s growing population, demographic shifts, and ongoing affordability pressures are increasing structural demand for homes. Deliveries of new homes, both social and private, remain below the levels required to even stabilise overall housing shortages, let alone reduce existing demand. Official government plans, like the recently released Delivering Homes, Building Communities (2025–2030) strategy, set ambitious targets including 300,000 new homes over the next five years but even these face criticism for failing to keep pace with real demand. 

The PBO report serves as a call-to-action for policymakers to rethink how housing need is measured and addressed. Including HAP households in planning and monitoring gives a more accurate picture of Ireland’s housing challenges and underscores the need for greater investment in permanent social housing, better data on all forms of housing support and long-term planning that accounts for both supply and security of tenure. Without these changes, Ireland risks entrenching a two-tier system where large numbers of households remain in insecure, temporary solutions rather than permanent, secure, affordable homes.

 

Social Justice Ireland firmly believe access to adequate housing is a fundamental human right. Without secure, affordable, and appropriate shelter, it is virtually impossible to participate fully in society, to live a life with dignity, or to protect one’s health and personal safety. Ireland’s housing crisis requires a sustained, strategic, and inclusive response. Simply increasing the number of homes will not resolve the deep-rooted challenges in the system. We must also ensure that the right types of housing are delivered—at the appropriate scale, in the right locations, and for the right reasons. A housing system grounded in social inclusion, long-term affordability, and the public good must be central to the National Housing Plan 2025–2030. 

Social Justice Ireland urges Government to act decisively and invest in housing as a social right.

  • Deliver the right type of housing at the right scale 

Prioritise quality, affordability, and sustainability in all new housing supply.

  •  Improve housing affordability through structural supply-side reform 

Shift from demand-side subsidies to skills development, MMC expansion, and construction innovation. 

  • Scale up Social and Cost Rental housing to ensure long-term affordability 

Increase social housing to 20 per cent of housing stock and expand not-for-profit cost rental. 

  • Deliver Inclusive and Sustainable housing through a Lifecycle Approach 

Embed universal design, housing diversity, and tailored supports for older people, disabled people, and Travellers.