The number of households experiencing homelessness in the Fermanagh and Omagh district has reached its highest point on record, according to the latest official housing statistics.

At the end of March 2026, 1,196 households had homelessness status, an increase from 1,163 a year earlier. The figure marks a more than 420 per cent rise over the past decade, when 230 households were recorded in March 2016.

The upward trend has been sustained in recent years. Homelessness figures climbed from 786 in March 2022 to 924 in 2023, then 1,077 in 2024, 1,163 in 2025, and 1,196 this year.

Demand for social housing in the district has also grown. The waiting list now stands at 2,318 households, up from 2,306 in March 2025, and significantly higher than the 1,408 recorded ten years ago.

In 2016, homeless households made up roughly one in six applicants on the waiting list. By March 2026, they accounted for more than half of all households waiting for social housing.

Nicola McCrudden, chief executive of Homeless Connect, said the data showed numbers continuing to move upwards. She stated that the single most effective way to reverse the trend is to build homes, and called for barriers to social housing construction to be removed.

McCrudden said public land must be part of the solution, and urged collective action across the Executive to accelerate delivery. She also stressed that support services need long-term funding, as short-term arrangements put charities at risk of reducing or closing services.

A whole-system response is required, she said, prioritising prevention, increasing housing supply, and ensuring people receive appropriate support. She added that legislative reform is needed to enable a more preventative approach to homelessness.