THERE ARE NOW more than 5,000 children living in emergency accommodation in Ireland.

A total of 16,058 people were officially recognised as homeless in July, meaning there has been an increase of 143 people recorded as homeless in June.

The figure includes 5,014 children – an increase of 56 on last month’s figures – and it is the first time that the recorded number of children in homelessness has surpassed 5,000.

Official statistics do not include the number of people rough sleeping, homeless people seeking asylum, individuals living in domestic violence shelters or those without a permanent address, also known as ‘hidden homelessness’.

The figures are taken from one recorded week in July and found that 11,567 people, including 3,719 children, are living in emergency accommodation centres in Dublin. 

Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne has said the number of children in emergency accommodation reflects the “dire situation” of the housing and homelessness crisis in Ireland. 

Chairty Focus Ireland said the number of children in emergency accommodation would fill 220 primary school classes. Focus Ireland’s CEO Pat Dennigan called for efforts to be redoubled to curb the homelessness and housing crises.

Hearne said that the “grim milestone” is shameful, and called on the Government to do more. He and Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said the number of children in emergency accommodation marks a “dark day” in Irish society. 

“This is not normal and it cannot be normalised,” Gould said. “For these children, for their families and for these people, this is lifelong trauma.”

Simon, the nationwide homelessness charity, has said government needs to take action to prevent the figures from continuing to ‘snowball’. CEO of the charity’s operations in Dublin, Catherine Kenny, said more investments need to be made in housing.

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“With emergency accommodation already at breaking point, this new housing plan must be more than words on paper. It has to deliver real, lasting change,” she said, adding that previous plans have not delivered any change.

She pointed to figures from August 2021 when the number of people in emergency accommodation was half of what it is now. Kenny said it is “not acceptable to continue to let this situation spiral out of control”.

Focus Ireland’s Dennigan has expressed shock at the same statistic.