8,313 people were recorded as homeless in January.
It marks a slight rise of 1 per cent on the figures recorded in December.
The latest data from the Department of Housing includes 2,326 children who did not have a home in the first month of the year.
70 per cent of adults who required emergency accommodation last month were in Dublin.
"Striking Divide"
Focus Ireland says there is a striking divide between Dublin and the rest of the country. It says Dublin accounts for around 75% of the total homeless population of Ireland as well as the majority of homeless families and the report also indicates an increase among adult only households in Dublin over the past two years.
However, Dublin has seen a significant increase in the number of exits from emergency accommodation for adult-only households during 2020. Exits were 61% higher in 2020 than 2019, with a total of 924
Outside of Dublin, the number of adult-only households in homelessness has plateaued since the start of 2019, remaining at approximately 1,500 households each month in 2019.
Concern
Focus Ireland Director of Advocacy Mike Allen says: “The return to an increase in the monthly homeless figures is deeply concerning, particularly in the middle of a pandemic and Level 5 lockdown.
"But by taking a longer perspective we can understand the real nature of what is happening – and so revealing needed if we are to help solve the crisis. As shown by this special edition of ‘Focus on Homelessness’, there are sharp divergences across regions and household types – homelessness among single people in Dublin has continued to rise since before the pandemic and continued to rise during it."
