ONE launches landmark report calling on Government to deliver meaningful action on veterans’ homelessness and support

Dublin – 17th June 2026: Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann (ONE), the national veterans’ charity, today publishes a comprehensive study revealing that Ireland is a significant outlier among comparable nations in its approach to veterans’ policy, legislation and support services.

The report, Veterans of the Defence Forces: A Study of the Profile and Needs of Irish Veterans, was prepared by Nexus Research Cooperative and commissioned by ONE, with the support of the Leopardstown Park Hospital Trust, to provide an evidence base for its advocacy and service development on behalf of Ireland’s estimated 140,000 Defence Forces veterans.

The research compares Ireland’s veterans’ framework against Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, all of which have dedicated veterans’ legislation, a specific government entity responsible for veterans’ affairs, a single point of contact for veterans accessing services, and State-funded research programmes. For Ireland, the 2015 White Paper on Defence remains the sole policy reference point, and no official definition of a veteran exists in Irish law.

Among the report’s key findings:

• An invisible population: There are approximately 140,000 veterans of the Defence Forces in Ireland, yet this cohort is not counted in the national census or any official data source, hindering targeted policy development and resource allocation.

• A crisis cascade: For a significant minority of veterans, unaddressed service-related trauma including PTSD, depression, moral injury, and other complex mental health issues, drives a cascade of interconnected challenges including substance abuse, family breakdown, financial instability and homelessness.

• The pension trap: Veterans accessing means-tested supports can find themselves disqualified by their pension entitlements, exacerbating poverty and housing precarity. Homelessness remains a severe manifestation of systemic failure for some veterans.

• Cultural barriers to support: Veterans report a profound loss of identity and structure upon discharge, compounded by a “language barrier” with civilian services that lack understanding of military culture, frequently rendering support ineffective.

The report notes that the Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA), established in November 2025, represents a potential shift in State engagement but warns that it must be more than a symbolic gesture. It calls on the OVA to be appropriately resourced, equipped with cross-governmental authority, and informed by international models.

The study is calling on the Government to take immediate action, including: defining a mechanism to calculate the precise number of living veterans; developing a national policy statement including a legal definition of a veteran; establishing a National Council of Veteran Associations; commissioning an independent evaluation of Defence Forces transition supports; the creation of a National Veteran Support Bureau in the re-purposed GPO in Dublin; and addressing the absence of veterans as a recognised group in housing policy.

The report also sets out a five-year strategic framework for ONE itself, encompassing advocacy, service development, research and evaluation, and integrated communications.

Speaking at the launch of the study, Cormac Kirwan, CEO of ONE, said:

“This report provides the evidence base we have long needed. Ireland is an international outlier in its failure to legislate for, count, or properly support its veterans. The establishment of the Office of Veterans Affairs was a welcome first step, but it must be followed by concrete action. Our message to Government is clear: the State must assume its responsibility for those who have served. No Irish veteran should be left behind.”