THERE ARE AT least 94 people sleeping rough in Dublin.

That’s the number counted by the Dublin Region Homeless Consultative Forum and Management Group in April this year.

Of the 94 rough Dublin sleepers, 72 were men, 11 were women and 11 were unknown to the counters.

Forty-six of them were Irish, 23 were non-Irish nationals and 25 were unknown.

The spring count shows a 28 per cent increase in people sleeping rough in Dublin when compared with the 73 people counted during the same time last year.

Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Dessie Ellis condemned government cuts to homeless services and other social supports following the figures on rough sleepers in Dublin.

“This government has presided over massive cuts to housing provision and homeless services. The budget for housing since 2008 has been cut by over €1 billion while demand is at an all-time high and people are struggling as rents go up and unemployment remain at unacceptable levels,” he said.

The government announced earlier in the year that it was to end long-term homelessness by 2016.

However, Ellis said do achieve an end to homelessness in three years time, more needs to be done to move people out of emergency accommodation and there needs to be greater support for those working with homeless people.

“If the government is genuine in its aim to end the need to sleep rough they must put the funding into the services that will make this happen and support the people on the ground working with these very vulnerable people,” added Ellis.

Read: Body found in Ennis believed to be homeless man who slept in public toilets>
More: Government commits to ending homelessness by 2016>