The head of the International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas) has questioned the accuracy of claims large numbers of people leaving direct provision are ending up homeless.
John Harding, head of operations at Ipas, said reports of large numbers presenting for homelessness services having had to leave Ipas accommodation were “based on self-reporting” by those seeking emergency accommodation that they had come from Ipas centres.
He said “narratives” were being “created ... that work against our overall objective to provide clear information and informed decision-making”.
Among those sounding warnings of a significant uptick in former Ipas residents presenting for emergency accommodation have been the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, and the director of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), Mary Hayes.
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In December Harris drew criticism for asserting a “significant number” in emergency accommodation were immigrants who “don’t have housing right”.
Earlier this month Hayes told the Public Accounts Committee more than 1,300 people over the last two years who had left direct provision sought emergency accommodation in the capital.
Between 2020 and 2025, a total of 1,362 single adults had entered homeless services in Dublin from Ipas centres, she said. There were also 127 families – a total of 1,758 people.
“Leaving direct provision in the preceding six months was the largest driver of single-adult homelessness in 2024 and 2025, accounting for 25 per cent of all new single entrants,” Hayes said.
In an email to Rosemarie Tobin, principal officer in charge of homelessness policy at the Department of Housing, dated January 21st, 2026, Harding said: “Now may be a good opportunity to get further clarity on the statistics underlying discussions regarding people in emergency ... accommodation that have previously resided in Ipas accommodation.”
He asked that “all” local authorities provide Ipas with “details of those households in this category ... in 2025, including name and [date of birth] of primary applicant”.
“We then propose ... to examine our own records and validate the data and identify trends within this cohort.”
Harding said given that 4,300 people recognised as having a right to remain in Ireland “left Ipas accommodation in 2025″, “it appears ... the vast majority have successfully sourced accommodation without the use of ... homeless services”.
Identifying what made the cohort who take up emergency accommodation “different” would help Ipas focus supports and “potentially allow us identify trends that we could seek to address”, he said.
“This work would provide further clarity and help mitigate against the narratives being created that work against our overall objective to provide clear information and informed decision-making.”
The correspondence was released under Freedom of Information legislation.
Tobin, in response, said her staff were “also considering a potential qualitative piece of research” on households presenting as homeless from Ipas centres.
In answer to a suggestion by Harding that a system be put in place where local authorities contact Ipas to verify households’ assertions they have left Ipas centres, she expects this “would require a data-sharing agreement between the DoJ [Department of Justice] and the local authorities”.
In an email to Harding dated March 4th, 2026, Tobin detailed a new steering group, to be chaired by her unit, titled “Homelessness prevention for people exiting direct provision with status or following family reunification”.
It will meet in person quarterly, its membership to include senior officials from the Department of Justice including Ipas; the DRHE and representatives of local authorities outside Dublin.
The draft terms of reference say the group’s purpose will include “identify how existing measures and policies are impacting the risk of homelessness among the target cohort” and “develop and implement proposals to address the impacts on risk identified at 1 above”.
Among seven items for consideration are the development of a data-sharing protocol between Ipas and local authorities, and to examine whether legislation is required to enable this.
