A spokesman for the Department of the Environment has said it has instructed local authorities to lease homes available in their areas to cater for housing needs.
However, he said the issue was complex and suitability, location and design of houses and schemes have to be carefully considered.
He was responding to a warning by the housing organisation, Focus Ireland, of a deepening homelessness crisis in Ireland.
In its annual report, published today, the charity said that 5,000 people are currently without accommodation nationally.
The CEO of Focus Ireland, Joyce Loughnan, said that unless the Government made the homeless a priority, it would fail to meet its target of ending long-term homelessness this year.
