Number of people in homelessness reaches new record of 13,866

It marks an increase of 25 people on February, with 9,719 adults and 4,147 children accessing emergency accommodation last month.

Meanwhile, there were 23 less children and 48 more adults in emergency accommodation in March, compared to February.

The latest figures show a 16pc increase in figures from the twelve months since March 2023, including a 21pc increase of families and 19pc increase of children.

The largest number of people accessing emergency accommodation last month were Dublin, with 6,999 adults seeking support.

It is more than all other regions combined, with the second highest number of adults in emergency accommodation in the South-West with 543.

Wayne Stanley, executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, welcomed the “small decline” in figures but said it must be recognised that it is “almost 10 years since these figures began to be published and homelessness was declared a crisis”.

"At the end of 2014, the Department reported 3,738 people in homelessness. Today’s figures show an increase of 10,128 men, women and children in homelessness since then. That is a shocking figure,” Mr Stanley said.

He acknowledged that there was some “innovation and success” during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it “didn’t happen by accident”.

“It was driven by preventing families and individuals from having to enter homelessness, while capturing increased housing supply, to ensure individuals and families could move out of homelessness.

“In a recent interview, the Minister for Housing indicated that he is working to increase allocations to those in homelessness. We have once again called on the Minister to implement the provisions of the Simon Homeless Prevention Bill to help slow the number of individuals and families entering homelessness.”

He said such initiatives might help enact a decline in numbers he described as “alarming”.

“We welcome the Taoiseach’s recognition that the exiting new housing targets for social, rental, and private housing are inadequate and will be increased,” said Focus Ireland chief executive Pat Dennigan.

"However, things are moving far too slowly for the over 4,000 children who are homeless in Ireland. This massive increase in homelessness was not inevitable and its root cause is the repeated failure to deliver sufficient social and affordable housing.”

He said the charity has recently written to Taoiseach Simon Harris to ask that the Government prioritise moving families and people out of long-term homelessness through making it a political priority.

"While it is positive that more social housing has been provided in the past year - and new targets are to be set - it remains a stark reality that homelessness has increased every month,” Mr Dennigan said.

"A key reason for the rising figures is that not enough of the new social housing allocations go to families and individuals trapped in emergency accommodation.

"Focus Ireland also highlighted that this would act to reduce the number of people in emergency accommodation, and this could help the State to deal with the additional crisis of international protection applicants who were left without adequate shelter during severe weather conditions earlier this year.”

Social Democrats housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said the it is now “beyond doubt that this Government cannot and will not get to grips with housing” as he said the increase in numbers signifies more people “suffering the trauma of being homeless”.