LATEST FIGURES RELEASED from the Department of Housing have shown that there are currently 8,212 people accessing emergency accommodation in the State. 

There is a total of 6,023 adults and 2,189 children who are homeless. 

The vast majority of the nation’s homeless are in the capital with 4,220 people accessing accommodation. 

There are a total of 953 families who are homeless in Ireland, according to the report. 

Last month’s figures from the Department of Housing showed that the number of people who were homeless nationwide in July was 8,132.

The July figures revealed that a total of 930 families with 2,129 children were homeless last month. 

Homelessness charities have warned that more families face losing their homes in the coming months due to private rental market constricts and evictions rise. 

Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust, said “Any increase is disappointing because it means more people impacted by homelessness. However, we are now at the busiest time of year for social housing delivery and we would hope that the number of people getting access to housing will significantly increase in the coming months.”

“At Peter McVerry Trust we will deliver over 100 social housing units before the end of this year and that means few people, and in particular single people, in homelessness. The priority each and every month is to ramp up the number of housing pathways we can secure and move more people into their own homes as quickly as possible.”

Dublin Simon CEO Sam McGuiness cited the toll on the physical and mental health of people trapped in long-term homelessness.  

He said: “This population is desperate to exit homelessness and yet they are spending longer than ever before in emergency accommodation.  This group deserves far better lives than the ones they are currently living. 

“We see first hand the toll this is taking in the increased demands for our treatment services, counselling services and the increase in crisis counselling interventions.  Outcomes for people in emergency accommodation will not improve until they have a secure home of their own.  Until this happens there is scant hope of a better future for this vulnerable group.”

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