LAST UPDATE | 26 Apr

THE NUMBER OF people living in emergency accommodation increased last month to 13,866.

According to the latest figures from the Department of Housing, 9,719 adults and 4,147 children were in emergency accommodation in March.

The figure of 13,866 is an increase from the 13,841 people living in emergency accommodation in February. 

Last month’s figures also saw more than 4,000 children living in emergency accommodation.

Earlier this month at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis, Taoiseach Simon Harris predicted that Ireland can build 250,000 new homes between 2025 and 2030.

Speaking on Wednesday, he said he expects this figure to be in revised targets issued by the Government later this year.

Focus Ireland has today welcomed the Government saying that revised targets are to be set, but warned that progress is happening too slowly. 

“We welcome the Taoiseach’s recognition that the exiting new housing targets for social, rental, and private housing are inadequate and will be increased,” Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan said. 

“However, things are moving far too slowly for the over 4,000 children who are homeless in Ireland. This massive increase in homelessness was not inevitable and its root cause is the repeated failure to deliver sufficient social and affordable housing,” he said. 

Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan has today said the Government has had “nearly four years to tackle homelessness and have turned a crisis into a disaster”.

“It is beyond doubt that this Government cannot and will not get to grips with housing,” O’Callaghan said. 

“We cannot afford to wait any longer. We cannot allow more and more people to go through the trauma of becoming homeless. We need a general election and a new Government now,” he said.