Homelessness in Ireland hits record high of 10,568

Speaking on air, Mr Allen said: “The circumstances are much worse than the numbers we are seeing.”

The number of adults and children who are homeless across Ireland has reached a new record high of 10,568, according to Department of Housing figures for July.

The department's latest statistics show there are 7,431 adults and 3,137 children registered as homeless.

The highest figures before this tally was in October 2019 when 10,514 people were recorded as being in emergency homeless accommodation across Ireland.

Mike Allen, the director of advocacy with homeless charity Focus Ireland, has warned that immediate action needs to be taken to address the dramatic increase in homeless figures.

Mr Allen said it was "with heavy heart" he was reporting that numbers are going up. 

He said there has been a 30% increase in homeless figures since May of 2021 when the figures were at their lowest in five years.

Local authorities had encouraged people to stay with families and friends so the real figures were probably much higher, he added.

Speaking on RTE Radio, Mr Allen said: “The circumstances are much worse than the numbers we are seeing.” 

Director Of Advocacy Mike Allen said  "with heavy heart" he was reporting that homeless numbers are going up. 

However, he claims the solution doesn't lie with the private sector in the long run, and landlords are not the “baddies”.

Instead, he said there's a need for more public housing with the alarming number of notices of termination of tenancy so far this year an "early warning system". 

The alarm system is flashing red and it was time for the Government to put together measures to address this crisis, he said.

He also urged for the introduction of any incentives that could keep landlords in the market, saying that there hasn't been enough imagination in tackling the issue seriously. 

Such incentives could include tax breaks to encourage landlords to stay in the market, he said, explaining how if they sold with tenants in situ they could avoid paying Capital Gains Tax and Local Authorities could purchase properties where there were vulnerable tenants.

“Now is absolutely the time to do something," he said.

Measures should be included in the forthcoming Budget to address the scale of the problem coming down the track, he stated. 

"Any actions needed to be stronger and more targeted to get landlords to stay in the market until such time as there was reform of the sector."

The focus needs to be immediate, he furthered.

“We’re not in a position to wait for houses to be built.”