The number of children in emergency accommodation in Ireland has passed 4,000 for the first time, according to official figures.
The monthly tally released by the Department of Housing indicates there were 13,514 people in emergency accommodation in November, 4,105 of whom were children.
This is an increase of 335 on the previous month and 17% higher than November 2022.
There were 2,000 families recorded as homeless during the last week in November, with 1,134 single-parent families.
Charities urged the Government to take action in the face of “shocking” rates of homelessness.
Focus Ireland chief executive Pat Dennigan said that not only were there more children homeless than ever, but more of them had been homeless for longer.
Mr Dennigan said 2024 “must be the year the Government makes a different approach to homelessness”, urging it to focus on the people who have been homeless for longest.
He said the Government should respond to the high numbers of people in emergency accommodation and to the increase in asylum seekers and refugees arriving in Ireland by “maximising the number of long-term homeless households moving out of homeless accommodation and into their own home”.
He said this would free up emergency accommodation for asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees.
“This is an entirely achievable objective. In the last two years more social housing has been delivered than for many years, but we are not using this resource to its best effect in reducing homelessness.
“If a fairer share of new social housing was allocated to those who have been homeless for long periods, we could reduce the harm caused by homelessness and ensure there was enough temporary accommodation for those who need this form of support.”
Wayne Stanley, executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, said the “shocking level of homelessness” represented in the figures was “a preventable trauma”.
“Addressing the current homelessness crisis will require Government to work with local authorities to ensure more secure affordable homes are made available to those in homelessness and that we see increased delivery of social housing in the years ahead.
Social Democrats housing spokesman Cian O’Callaghan said that since Darragh O’Brien became Minister for Housing almost four years ago, the number of people living in emergency homeless accommodation “has shot up by 55%”.
“Shamefully, the number of children growing up without a home has also increased by 55%.
“The Government is in a state of paralysis when it comes to dealing with the housing crisis. Its final year in office will be tainted by unprecedented levels of child homelessness and a generation locked out of home ownership.”
