For the third month in a row, there's a record number of people living in hotels and B&Bs nationally.
There were a total of 10,975 people in emergency accommodation in September - more than 7,700 in Dublin
The figure is 29% higher than last September, 19 percent up on the start of this year, and 37% higher than April 2021 - which was a low during the pandemic.
It includes 3,342 children who are growing up in B&Bs and hotels - which is the highest figure since the start of the pandemic when extra supports were put in place.
2,429 of those children are in Dublin.
The Department of Housing has highlighted that nearly half of single people and families were only in emergency accommodation for six months between June and September.
Minister Darragh O'Brien said the situation is "very challenging", and said money to fix the issue isn't an obstacle, adding: "We are seeing a continued increase in the numbers of people accessing emergency accommodation and the situation is very challenging. The Government, local authorities and those in our NGO sectors are making every effort to reduce homelessness."
"Grim Prospect"
Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan says: “It's a reality that the monthly homeless figures are now a reflection of people only in emergency accommodation, the actual number of people homeless is in fact considerably higher.
"Unlike many European countries even at the height of the homeless crisis over the last 10 years, Ireland managed to avoid families sleeping in tents or their cars, now this grim prospect is a reality.
"More social and affordable housing is the long-term solution but in the short term we immediately need more emergency accommodation as homeless services such as Focus Ireland’s frontline team are being stretched to their maximum capacity. The prospect is looking increasingly grim this winter unless there is an urgent response to avoid more trauma for families across the country."
