Latest: Government told immediate measures needed to address homeless crisis
: The Government is being urged to get on with it and come up with immediate measures to address the homeless crisis.
Labour TD Jan O'Sullivan said it is long past time to use compulsory purchase orders - to buy up vacant homes to use for those in need.
New figures show there are now a record number of people recorded as being homeless, while some are being directed to ask to sleep in Garda Stations.
Deputy O'Sullivan said these families need urgent help and suggested the Government should be looking at the vacant properties around the country. .
“We have to look for instant solutions in my opinion. The number of empty houses in the country is nearly 200,000. I think it is about 25 times the number of people who are homeless.
“So even a fraction of those would make a huge difference and we actually have about twice the average number of empty homes than in comparable European Countries.”
: A new record high of more than 7,600 people were homeless in April according to the latest figures from the Department of Housing.
The statistics - which only came to light late last night - show that more than 2,700 of these are children.
It comes as homeless charities revealed families in need of shelter are now being told to go to Garda stations due to a lack of emergency accommodation.
Anthony Flynn CEO of Inner City Helping Homeless said the record numbers are completely unacceptable.
“We've seen promise after promise in regard to the end of emergency accommodation use from Minister Simon Coveney. I think the figures indicate that it is not going to happen by July
“We haven’t seen a month-on-month reduction in the figures in any shape or form. Things are only getting worse and what happened this week, with families being referred to Garda stations, and having to sleep on office floors - it’s proof that it is not going to happen by July.”
