The number of international protection applicants currently without State provided shelter has passed 220.
Tomorrow, it will be exactly one month since the State stopped offering accommodation to newly arrived asylum seekers presenting without children.
According to the latest figures available, there were 224 international protection applicants living without state provided accommodation on Tuesday evening.
Since 24 January, when the State ceased offering accommodation to newly arriving adult asylum seekers presenting without children, 380 were initially told they could not be accommodated.
The figures show 156 were subsequently offered a place, while 224 remain without.
The Department of Social Protection has confirmed to RTÉ News that these asylum seekers are also ineligible for the weekly allowance of €38.80 per week, paid to those in Direct Provision Accommodation.
Currently, those who are informed by International Protection Office staff that there is no accommodation available for them are given a once off €25 Dunnes Gift Card.
They are also provided with a form, seen by RTÉ News, which states that applicants for international protection "are entitled to State supports" once they get a Personal Public Services number.
However, the form does not elaborate on what social welfare supports they can access.
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In response to a query from RTÉ News, a department spokesperson confirmed that the weekly payment of €38.80 is "for those provided for directly with meals and accommodation by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS)".
"Applicants for protection, who are still waiting for IPAS accommodation, are supported by the Department of Social Protection with access to Additional Needs Payments, including for clothing, necessary travel and any other exceptional needs that they may have while they are waiting to be accommodated.
"These schemes are demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme considering all the relevant circumstances of the individual case to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance," they said.
However, the Irish Refugee Council has said that prior to being informed by RTÉ News, neither it nor the homeless international protection applicants it is supporting had been made aware that those effected could apply for Additional Needs Payments.
"We have written to the Government twice expressing our grave concerns about people seeking protection not being provided accommodation and that this is a clear breach of Irish law," CEO Nick Henderson said.
"We gave practical suggestions that could support people, if that is even possible, when homeless and rough sleeping. We have had no response to either letter.
"Our experience, based on almost 90 people who have contacted us looking for support is that they have been left to fend for themselves on the Dublin streets. The lack of information, services or support structure for people who are homeless is shocking and disturbing."
Last month, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O'Gorman, said that the policy of not offering accommodation to all new arrivals was due to a nationwide shortage of accommodation for international protection applicants, which he forecast could last into mid-February.
With the end of the month now less than a week away, RTÉ understands that the policy will remain in place indefinitely due to an ongoing shortage of available accommodation.
It is understood that a small number of commercial venues are being considered as potential large scale temporary accommodation centres, akin to the Citywest Transit hub, but it is not expected that it will be possible to open such a facility in the immediate or short term.
Earlier this month, Mr O'Gorman wrote to his ministerial colleagues "urgently seeking facilities" as he said there was a "lack of any suitable (International Protection Accommodation Service) IPAS accommodation on the horizon".
The minister has acknowledged that the policy of failing to offer any accommodation to newly arrived international protection applicants is in breach of Ireland's international obligations.
Last week, a High Court judge said it was entirely foreseeable that a legal challenge would be brought against the State after the Government decision last month to pause offers of accommodation to some asylum seekers.
A homeless Afghan asylum seeker had applied to the High Court for mandatory orders requiring the State to provide him with basic accommodation as required by an EU directive.
When the man was subsequently offered accommodation, Mr Justice Charles Meenan said proceedings were "probably moot".
