More than 13,800 recorded as homeless last month

The number of people accessing emergency accommodation reached another record high last month.

There were 13,841 people in emergency accommodation in February, of whom 4,170 were children and 9,671 were adults.

It is the highest number of children who have been recorded as being in emergency accommodation since records began.

The last highest to this point was 4,105 in November 2023.

Overall, February’s figures are up a further 310 people compared to the previous month, when 13,531 people were homeless.

Following the publication of the figures, Focus Ireland has said there is an urgent need for “more decisive action” to reverse the trend of rising monthly homelessness figures.

The agency said it will be writing to the Taoiseach next week to ask him to consider setting out several clear goals to help end what it described as “the human crisis” of homelessness.

It said it wants to prioritise homelessness as “a key agenda item”, and is seeking more realistic targets for home building.