Rise in families with children living rough

INCREASING numbers of families with children are living on the streets of Dublin, a new report shows.

The number of homeless people with children in the greater Dublin region has almost doubled, growing to 220 over the past four years.

Many are homeless for financial reasons, including spiralling rents or job losses. But other difficulties, such as physical and sexual abuse as well as abuse of drugs and alcohol, are pushing more and more people onto Dublin's streets, a report by the Eastern Regional Health Authority shows.