Dublin charity reports record number of new homeless families
Focus Ireland said it dealt with a record number of homeless families in Dublin last month, most of which said they had never been homeless before.
Figures released this morning show 466 families have become homeless so far this year.
77 families - including 155 children - became homeless in Dublin in July alone, and 70 of those families had never been homeless before.
In the first seven months of the year 466 families became homeless in Dublin, which compares to a 485 total for 2014.
Focus Ireland said the homeless crisis could be solved if it is treated as a national emergency and prioritised by the Government.
It said the Government's policy of refusing to raise rent supplement is a major factor contributing to the family homeless crisis.
Director of Advocacy with Focus Ireland, Mike Allen, said that these people are capable of earning their own income and supporting themselves, if given the opportunity.
"Most of them aren't working- but were working in the past. The first solution to their situation is they need a home, and the next thing they need is a job.
"So if we put them out in some ghost estate in Leitrim, we're saying: we're giving you a house, but that's the end of any sort of future you have."
