A homeless charity says its seen a 25% jump in the number of calls for its help in the last 12 months.
Some 8,000 people contacted Focus Ireland in 2012. That rose to 10,000 last year, and the organisation expects that will soar even higher by the end of 2014.
Focus Ireland is blaming the government policy on rent supplements for the rising number of families losing their homes or facing the threat of becoming homeless.
The Government has said it is looking at a number of measures to ease rental pressures.