Record 15,580 people in emergency accommodation last month, including 4,775 children
THE NUMBER OF people in Ireland living in emergency accommodation stood at 15,580 in April.
The figure includes 4,775 children – 100 more than last month.
This doesn't account for those rough sleeping, refugees, asylum seekers, individuals in domestic violence shelters, or those experiencing 'hidden homelessness', such as sleeping in cars, on couches, or other unsuitable living conditions.
The figures are taken from the week of 21 April.
Of the adults accessing emergency accommodation, 7,652 were in Co Dublin. Some 650 adults were in Cork, 496 were in Limerick, and 249 were in Galway.
There were 3,559 children living in emergency accommodation in Dublin. There were 230 in the West (Galway, Mayo and Roscommon), and 219 in the Mid-East (Kildare, Meath and Wicklow).
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'Possible to end homelessness'
Mike Allen, Director of Advocacy at Focus Ireland, said the number of children homeless is 'unacceptable'.
'This should be a carefree time for children as they look forward to school holidays and the longer evenings.
'Instead of this, the harsh reality for many children who are homeless is that they are studying for exams while living in family hubs or hotels without anywhere suitable to even do their homework.'
He said the government's new housing plan, which is due to be published in July, must deliver a 'radical policy shift' to meet the growing needs across society.
'It is possible to end homelessness, and we must all learn the lessons from what is working and has worked in the past and so more of the same.'
Rory Hearne TD, housing spokesperson for the Social Democrats, says the homelessness figures are a 'shameful milestone' and a direct result of government policy.
'Failing to take an interventionist approach in coordinating a national emergency response to homelessness across all local authorities, destroying the Tenant in Situ Scheme, and threatening to end rent caps have collectively pushed more and more people into homelessness,' he said.
Hearne called them 'intolerable and excusable' failures.
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