Youth homelessness

If you are under 18 and homeless, or if you know a young person who is homeless, contact Tusla or the Garda Síochána. They can provide support.

If you are 18 or older, you should contact your local authority to get emergency accommodation.

You can also contact one of the organisations working specifically with homeless people and with homeless young people.

Youth homelessness describes 13 to 26 year-olds who are living without a parent or guardian and don’t have stable accommodation.

For example, they may be:

• Sleeping rough on the streets, or somewhere else that is not meant for night-time accommodation, such as a park, vacant building, shop or bus shelter
• Living in temporary accommodation intended for short stays, such as a hostel, shelter or bed and breakfast
• Staying temporarily with friends or relatives who can only accommodate them for a short time. This is often known as couch surfing.

Young people can become homeless for many reasons. For example, they may have to leave their family home due to an issue, such as:

• A family breakdown
• Over-crowding
• Conflict
• Violence
• Abuse
• Neglect
• Drug or alcohol addiction
• Emotional or behavioural problems
• Not being accepted because they are LGBTQI

Young people are also at risk of becoming homeless when they:

• Leave the care system
• Leave prison or a juvenile detention centre
• Leave the direct provision system
• Move away from home to study or work

The law and the types of services you can access as a young homeless person are different depending on your age.

If you are homeless and under 18

If you are under 18, you are considered a minor. This means your parents, or a guardian are legally responsible for you.

But, if you’ve left home, or it is not safe for you to be there, then Tusla is legally responsible for your care and welfare.

They will work to find alternative accommodation for you with a guardian, or in care, such as foster care or residential care.

This is set out in the Child Care Act 1991.

If you are a child arriving in Ireland without your family

If you are a foreign national who is under 18 and you arrive in Ireland without your parents or a caregiver, you will be referred to Tusla.

Tusla is then responsible for your general care and well-being. You will see a social worker who will make a care plan for you. You will be placed in foster care or residential care, and if you qualify, Tusla will apply for international protection for you.

If you are homeless and 18 or older

Young people who are 18 and older are not covered by this legislation. This means no organisation is legally responsible for providing homeless services to young people aged 18 or older.

However, you can access general homeless services and accommodation in the same way as adults who are homeless.

Local authorities have a general responsibility to provide housing for adults who cannot afford it. So, you can contact your local authority to access emergency accommodation.

If you’re under 18

If you are under 18 and homeless, or you know someone who is, you should contact Tusla for help and to get accommodation.

If it is outside standard working hours, you should contact the Gardaí and they will contact the on-duty Tusla social worker for you, so they can find you emergency accommodation. This is the process the Gardaí follow if they find you sleeping on the streets.

Tusla will assess your needs and make a care plan for you. This may mean:

• Going home
• Going to stay with relatives
• Foster care
• Going to alternative accommodation

If you’re over 18

If you are over 18 and homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, you should contact your local authority to get accommodation.

If you are based in Dublin or Cork, the local authorities have specialist placement services you can contact to get accommodation.

There are different types of emergency accommodation available, including hostels, family hubs, and sometimes B&Bs and hotels.

The type of emergency accommodation you get depends on your situation and if you have children.

We have more information about these housing options, as well as how to access social welfare payments when you’re homeless, in our page housing and other supports for homeless people.

Tusla aftercare services for people leaving care

Tusla will provide aftercare services if you are 18 or over and are at risk of youth homelessness when you’re leaving:

• Residential care
• Foster care
• Prison
• Juvenile detention services

These aftercare services focus on helping you learn how to live independently. Tusla can provide these aftercare services until you are 21, or until you are 23, if you are in education.

Financial supports after you leave care

You can also get financial supports as part of the Tusla aftercare service. The Aftercare Grant can help with the cost of a deposit and getting set-up in your own place. While, the Aftercare Allowance is a weekly payment to help with your costs if you are in training or education.

If you were in Tusla care before you turned 18 and you qualify for Jobseeker’s Allowance when you are 18, you may get the full rate of the payment instead of the reduced rates that apply to most young people.

Read more about young people leaving care in our page Children in care.

There are many organisations that work specifically with people who are homeless.

These organisations may provide housing and other supports for homeless people including:

• Meals
• Advice
• Support
• Hostel or other accommodation
• Health services
• Education services

Some of these organisations have specific programmes for young people who are homeless.

For example:

• Focus Ireland has programmes to prevent young people becoming homeless and to help them to get back into education or training.
• The Peter McVerry Trust has learning centres where they provide education programmes to young people who cannot access mainstream education.

Drop-in services for young homeless people

Many organisations also run drop-in centres during the day, where you can get food, advice and support.

For example:

• Focus Ireland has a Youth Extension Service that provides a safe meeting space. It also has shower and laundry facilities, as well as a youth health clinic.
• The Peter McVerry Trust runs a Youth Café on Berkeley St, Dublin 7 which offers food, internet access, laundry and shower facilities.

In June 2021, Ireland signed the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness. This committed Ireland to work towards ending homelessness by 2030.

This commitment to end homelessness by 2030 is repeated in the Government’s housing plan to 2030. This plan aims to address homelessness by using a housing-led approach, which includes:

• Expanding Housing First. Housing First gives rough sleepers and people who have been homeless for a long-time their own secure accommodation and intensive health supports.
• Building more one-bedroom homes
• Providing health and mental supports for people who are homeless
• Developing more emergency accommodation
• Expanding street outreach services
• Developing a Youth Homelessness Strategy

Youth Homeless Strategy

The most recent Youth Homelessness Strategy was launched in 2022. It has 27 actions aimed at:

• Preventing young people becoming homeless
• Improving young people’s experience in emergency accommodation
• Assisting young people to exit homelessness

The Housing Agency’s Supports Guide for Young People is aimed at young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It gives information on how to access social welfare, financial, housing, employment, educational and childcare services and supports.

Spunout has also developed a factsheet with useful information about how to prepare for leaving care.