Housing crisis 'devastating' for one-parent families

The housing crisis is creating a "cascading, devastating impact" on one-parent families, according to a new report from One Family.

The organisation advocates for one-parent families.

In its 2025 annual report, it found that there had been "a huge increase" in the number of families contacting them where parents have separated but both are forced to remain living together.

It says that this was creating sustained, negative impacts on children's mental health.

It also found that the gross motor skills of babies and toddlers are being delayed or negatively impacted, due to long-term living in emergency accommodation.

Of those who had been subject to domestic abuse, the report said there had been "multiple incidents" of either the victim parent or children returning to the abuser in the family home, rather than live in short-term emergency accommodation.

It found that the housing needs of significant numbers of one-parent families are often hidden because they will choose to stay with family, friends, or sleep on couches rather than going to emergency accommodation.

One Family Chief Executive, Karen Kiernan, said that the fear of homelessness is constant for many of the one-parent families they provide services to.

"Without a safe and secure home, it’s incredibly difficult for families to separate well, to enter or remain in employment or education and focus on parenting their children," she said.

"But the impact is most profound and devastating on children, many of whom are paying the highest cost for the State’s failure to prevent the housing crisis reaching the levels it has."

Ms Kiernan has called on the Government to take action.

"We urge Government to think of these families’ daily realities as they prioritise their spending for Budget 2027," she said.

"While the housing crisis can’t be solved overnight, greater supports can be put in place to protect families, including; creating a new, Additional Needs Payment so that a minimum level of income is protected for families after their housing costs have been met, along with increasing income thresholds for One Parent Family Payment and Jobseekers Transitional Payment and increasing HAP and RAS in line with market rents."

One Family said that last year its helpline answered over 7,800 queries and had over 900 parents enrol in e-learning parenting courses.

It said that 346 parents attended in-person courses and workshops, while the organisation provided thousands of supports to over 700 families through Parenting Services.

It also provided over 900 counselling sessions to people experiencing crisis or unplanned pregnancy and those requiring post-abortion support.

One Family supported 99 lone parents through its New Futures Employability Programme.