ABOUT 100 people sleeping rough may not be accounted for in government statistics because of a “new way of counting people”.

A leading homeless agency has today called on the HSE to maintain funding levels for the sector into next year as they try to eliminate the need to sleep rough.

Homelessness is twice as bad as official government figures, a leading charity claimed today.

GOVERNMENT plans to tackle homelessness will place the most vulnerable at risk and should not go ahead in their current form, a leading homeless charity has claimed.

I WAS surprised to read of the Lord Mayor of Dublin Eibhlin Byrne’s recent comments criticising homeless service providers for the fact that the number of homeless in the city has not declined in recent years.

ALARM was expressed last night at the number of homeless people dying in Dublin while underfunded shelters are being left idle.

More than half of all hostels used as emergency shelters for homeless people in Dublin are not fit for purpose, according to the Homeless Agency.

The number of people sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin is continuing to fall, according to new figures from the Homeless Agency.

Focus Ireland has welcomed the launch by the Homeless Agency of its third action plan on homelessness entitled 'A Key to the Door'.

The Homeless Agency has said a system of short-term accommodation for people arriving here from the new EU countries needs to be established.

A new report on homelessness has revealed that 400 children are experiencing the problem in Dublin.

The number of homeless people in Dublin has fallen by almost a fifth in the past three years, according to the Government's Homeless Agency.

A NEW service announced yesterday aims to break the cycle of homelessness once and for all.

WITH the festive season upon us, the plight of homeless people eking out a hand-to-mouth existence on the margins of one of Europe’s richest nations is inevitably etched on the public conscience.

THE Homeless Agency wishes to express its sympathy to the families, friends and service providers who were close to the three people who died recently in Dublin and who were engaged with homeless services.

ENVIRONMENT Minister Dick Roche yesterday pledged the State would deliver more affordable homes of high quality and do so at "a faster pace" than before.

UP TO 40% of homeless people suffer mental ill-health, locking them into a cycle of homelessness and resulting in imprisonment for some.

FOLLOWING the publication of Focus Ireland’s Annual Report 2002 last week, the Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal, Noel Ahern, said Focus had misled people suggesting “5,000 people were sleeping rough” and he added that “temporary accommodation is in place for those who require it”.

It had some worthy objectives and recognised that homelessness is not just about

A BOOK of remembrance listing the names of the homeless who have died on the streets is being compiled.

THE fact that there are 15,000 heroin users, and probably more, in this country may not be startling news at this stage.

The most comprehensive assessment of the scale of homelessness in Ireland is taking place this week.