21% of Dublin's homeless in emergency accommodation are from outside EU

A new report into homelessness in Dublin has found that a large number of people living in emergency accommodation are from outside the European Union.

The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive says that of the new families presenting as homeless, 21% were non-EU nationals.

It says the group presents a significant challenge in terms of their entitlement to housing and welfare.

Deputy Chief Executive of Dublin City Council Brendan Kenny says it is something they are looking to address.

"We have said before that we are concerned about the numbers of non-Irish people that we are dealing with," he said.

"We don't have any difficulty with that but it's adding another challenge to us, in particular people coming from outside the EU that don't have status, some of them are illegal.

"We have to provide accommodation so we put them up maybe one night in a hotel or a bed-and-breakfast. It's not ideal for them either."