Figures obtained by Aontú Councillor Sarah Beasley at the Metropolitan District of Limerick meeting reveal that almost €17 million has been spent on emergency accommodation in 2025 alone — while Limerick simultaneously holds one of the highest rates of vacant homes in the country.
• 2024: €11,322,793 spent on emergency accommodation
• 2025: €16,937,214 spent on emergency accommodation
• Q1 2026: An estimated €3.7 million already spent
Cllr Sarah Beasley says
“The figures come against a backdrop that makes for deeply uncomfortable reading. That is over €28 million in just over two years — with no sign of the numbers coming down.
CSO data published in March 2026, based on 2024 figures, identified Adare-Rathkeale in Limerick as the Local Electoral Area with the highest vacancy rate in the country at 9.9% — approximately one in every ten homes sitting empty. Earlier CSO data from 2023 recorded 1,395 vacant homes across the Adare-Rathkeale Local Electoral Area, placing it among the highest in the country for the sheer number of vacant properties.
“We are spending €17 million a year putting families and single people into emergency accommodation while thousands of homes in Limerick sit empty,” said Cllr. Beasley. “That is not a housing strategy. That is crisis management, and we are paying through the nose for it.”
Backwards Thinking
Cllr. Beasley said the figures illustrate exactly the kind of backwards thinking that has Ireland in the housing crisis it is in.
“We have empty homes. We have homeless families. We have €17 million going out the door every year on hotels, hostels and B&Bs. The solution is staring us in the face — but instead of tackling vacancy, we keep paying for emergency accommodation as if it is a permanent solution.
“Every vacant home that sits idle in Limerick is a family that could be housed. We need to get serious about this — and fast.”
Cllr. Beasley said she will be raising the matter further at upcoming Council meetings and pressing for a comprehensive plan to address vacancy as a matter of urgency.
Sources
1. Emergency Accommodation Expenditure Figures — Reply to question submitted by Cllr. Sarah Beasley, Metropolitan District of Limerick meeting, June 2026. Respondent:
Senior Executive Officer, Housing Department, Limerick City and County Council. Publicly available data also held on Gov.ie.
2. Vacancy Rate — Adare-Rathkeale 9.9% (2024 data) — Central Statistics Office, Residential Vacancy Based on Metered Electricity Consumption 2024, published 24 March 2026. Available at: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/fp/fprvmec/residentialvacancybasedonmeteredelectricityconsumption2024
3. Vacant Homes Count — 1,395 homes in Adare-Rathkeale (2023 data) — Central Statistics Office, Residential Vacancy Based on Metered Electricity Consumption 2023, published September 2025. Available at: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/fp/fp-
rvmec/residentialvacancybasedonmeteredelectricityconsumption2023/keyfindings
