The number of people that are in emergency accommodation across the country has reached a new all-time high.
New figures released by the Department of Housing show there were 10,568 people in emergency accommodation in July - an increase of 76 on the previous month.
This includes 5,140 single adults and 3,137 children.
READ MORE: Young son in family being made homeless asks 'where are we going to sleep tonight?'
The previous peak was recorded in October 2019, when there were 10,541 people living in emergency accommodation.
Of the latest figure:
- 1423 were families – this is 38 (2.7%) more than the previous month (1385 families)
- 5140 were single adults – this is a 37 (0.7%) decrease on the previous month (5177 single adults).
- 3137 were Children/Dependents – this is up 66 (2.1%) on the previous month (3071 dependents)
- 1239 were Young People aged 18-24 – this is a decrease of 7 on the previous month (1246), but up 296 (31.4%) year on year from 943 in July 2021.
- There was also a record number of adults (7431) and people aged 45-65 (2041).
Spokesperson for the Dublin Simon Community Caoimhe O'Connell urged the Government to work with them on a crisis plan.
Ms O'Connell said: "We are extremely distressed by the ongoing rise in the number of people presenting in emergency accommodation.
"Last month, we broke a record we never wanted to reach in Dublin and now, devastatingly, the same has happened at a national level. In our fifty years of providing homeless services, the situation has never been this bleak or urgent.
"Behind these numbers are people whose physical and mental health is deteriorating as they remain stuck in emergency accommodation with little or no hope for when they might feel the safety and security of “home” again.
"On the frontline, our staff are struggling to keep our clients motivated and prevent relapses into addiction as social housing remains far from reach and the pool of HAP properties continues to shrink on a daily basis.
"There was a shocking 78% decrease in the amount of singles and couples exiting homelessness via HAP properties in Dublin in the first 6 months of 2022, compared to the same period last year.
"Our emergency services are already seeing a significant increase in older people and working people presenting as homeless for the first time and our fear is that this trend will continue as landlords continue to leave the market at an alarming rate. We are calling on all government departments and agencies to work with us and other NGOs on a crisis plan as a matter of urgency.”
