'€500m needed to tackle homelessness'

Focus Ireland is calling on the Government to invest €500m in the upcoming Budget to help tackle Ireland's growing homelessness and affordable housing crisis.

The call comes as the charity published new figures which show 45 families became homeless in Dublin in September alone.

More than 350 families have become homeless so far this year in Dublin.

Advocacy Manager at Focus Ireland Roughan MacNamara said: "We need immediate action to reach all these families. The way to do that is to increase rent supplement levels in the Budget to match market rent.

"The Government brings in changes to VAT and the price of a pint - we see no reason why (the rent supplement) change shouldn’t be made on Budget night as well to protect families and single people who are at serious risk of becoming homeless."