The number of homeless people increased again last month, with the latest figures indicating that 14,486 individuals are now in emergency accommodation.
According to the Department of Housing, this total is made up of 10,067 adults and 4,419 children.
This marks an increase of 57 people compared to July, when the count stood at 14,429.
There has been a 2.5% rise in the number of young people aged 18-24 seeking emergency accommodation, bringing the total in this age group to 1,740.
In a statement, the Dublin Simon Community highlighted that 10,481 individuals are currently in emergency accommodation in Dublin, which reflects a 13% year-on-year rise.
“Despite a slight decrease in Dublin over the last month, these figures over the last number of years show no sign of slowing down, and with winter approaching, things will only get worse,” commented Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon Community.
“The truth is that people experiencing homelessness don’t have a line of sight towards a home.
“If we don’t see real investment in preventative measures, increased funding for homeless services, and clear directives to prioritise social housing for the long-term vulnerable, this crisis will continue to spiral.”
Meanwhile, Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan called for the Government to prioritise housing families that have been homeless on a long-term basis.
“We are urging the Government to adopt a policy that allocates a portion of new social housing specifically for families who have been homeless long-term,” he said.
“This targeted approach was instrumental in significantly reducing homelessness during the pandemic and has been crucial in Focus Ireland’s recent success in doubling the number of families we supported out of homelessness this year.
“If we fail to apply the lessons from what has proven effective, the number of families and children enduring long-term homelessness will continue to increase each month, despite the valuable efforts of Focus Ireland, other NGOs, and the State to support more households out of homelessness.”