Homelessness record broken again as 12,847 in emergency accommodation

A homeless tent on Henry Street in Dublin. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The monthly homelessness record has been broken yet again, with 12,847 people accessing emergency accommodation at the end of July.

The latest report from the Department of Housing says that there were 1,839 families who accessed emergency accommodation at the end of last month, including 3,829 children.

There were also 9,018 adults in emergency accommodation, with 5,621 of those being men compared to 3,397 women.

This is an increase of 247 on June, where the Department reported that there were 12,600 people in emergency accommodation.

Speaking ahead of the figures being released, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said that the “homeless situation remains very challenging” and that there needs to be further supply of housing.

“It still is the priority area for me in this Government is to make sure that we can see a reduction in homeless numbers,” Mr O’Brien said.

“The numbers are still growing and that remains a matter of concern for me, but we’re doing everything we can to make sure we’re delivering more permanent homes for people that they can access directly out of emergency accommodation.”