More than half of all hostels used to accommodate homeless people in Dublin have been described as completely unsuitable as emergency accommodation facilities.
A newly published report also reveals that 25% of the hostels do not meet current fire safety standards and are a risk to both residents and staff.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio, Cathal Morgan, Director of the Homeless Agency, said money needed to be spent to upgrade facilities for the homeless.
Last year, the homeless agency commissioned an audit of 16 emergency homeless services in the Dublin area.
It found the standard of accommodation in nine of the 16 hostels surveyed was rated as poor or very poor. In many cases the facilities were not suitable for use as emergency shelters.
In the area of fire safety, two of the hostels did not appear to have any fire escapes in place and conditions in another two were so poor they were served with fire safety notices last December.
The service provided by some of the hostels to their clients was also criticised. One third of the facilities provided either a poor or very poor service to the homeless.
According to the report, homeless people spend six months on average in emergency accommodation.
Last month, the Homeless Agency also undertook a census of rough sleepers in the capital. It found 104 people were sleeping on the streets on the night in question.
