Homeless situation is at crisis point, say groups

The Dublin Homeless Executive says it is dealing with an “unprecedented demand” for services, with Focus Ireland saying homelessness is at crisis point.

Focus Ireland said a record 71 homeless families were referred to its team in Dublin in April. It said this figure does not reflect the full scale of the problem, as many families who have been assessed as homeless had been refused emergency accommodation as there were no places available.

It said the Focus Ireland Intake Team, run with the Peter McVerry Trust, was increasingly finding families sleeping in cars or other inappropriate places.