Almost one-third of families who became homeless in Dublin in the first six months of this year lost their housing because of “relationship breakdown”, not eviction, according to new research. The report from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive says more families are becoming homeless because of “family circumstances,” including overcrowded accommodation, and the breakdown of relationships between family members or partners, than are being served notice to quit by their landlords. An assessment of 450 families who became homeless in Dublin in the first six months of this year found that just under 30 per cent of all families cited relationship breakdown as the cause of their homelessness.

Fianna Fáil councillor David Costello said the research revealed a gap between perceptions of the causes of homelessness and the reality. “A lot of people think it’s bad landlords putting people out that’s causing the trouble, but the council experience is that a lot of it is either family breakdown or overcrowding.”