Preventing homelessness is a key policy objective in Ireland at both national level and in the Dublin region where most of the homeless population is concentrated. Prevention has also become increasingly central to homelessness policy internationally in recent years (Mackie, 2015). However, prevention strategies and associated investment are often not informed by an adequate empirical evidence base (Culhane, Metraux and Byrne, 2011). This has negative implications not just for the effectiveness of these strategies, but potentially also for those at risk of homelessness (Shinn, Baumohl and Hopper, 2001). This is because, in the context of resource constraints, poorly targeted strategies may result in the non-provision or withdrawal of supports from those who need it, and therefore may just redistribute homelessness rather than prevent it. To help address these important empirical oversights and inform better design of strategies to prevent homelessness, this paper examines variations in the interaction between structural and personal factors that influence the risk of homelessness and therefore should be the focus of strategies to reduce this risk. To do this, we analyse administrative data on single adult users of emergency accommodation (EA) for homeless people in Dublin between 2016 and 2018.