Severe Regional Gaps Exposed in Irish Domestic Violence Accommodation Capacity

Four Irish counties have no domestic violence accommodation units, while six others have fewer than five, amid a wider national housing shortage.

According to figures compiled by Safe Ireland and reported in national media, the counties of Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, and Monaghan currently have no dedicated domestic violence accommodation units. Nationally, emergency capacity remains low, with approximately 172 refuge units and 60 Safe Home units available across the country.

This lack of capacity has resulted in high numbers of individuals being turned away. In 2022, a total of 4,831 requests for emergency refuge could not be met because facilities were full. More recently, Meath Women's Refuge reported that it was unable to accommodate 429 women in 2024.

Advocacy groups and housing experts point out that the emergency housing shortage is compounded by a lack of long-term exit options. Because there is a shortage of alternative housing to transition into, individuals are staying in emergency refuges for months at a time, which blocks access for new referrals. Additionally, although over 4,000 women and children are accommodated in emergency refuges on an annual basis, they are often excluded from official government homelessness statistics.