Homelessness and drug use has reached unprecedented levels on our streets, according to a new report.
According to homeless and drug charity Merchants Quay Ireland, the numbers are swollen by people who cannot afford to pay rent and have no place to sleep at night.
Merchants Quay Ireland said that in 2015 just over 7,500 people used its homeless support services and the charity provided over 98,000 meals.
It said it provided 25,745 needle exchange interventions to 2,676 individuals, an increase of 6% on 2014.
More than 400 people presented for their first-time.
A night cafe initiative, introduced as an emergency measure in January 2015, saw 1,900 people pass through its door.
Merchants Quay Ireland Chief Executive Tony Geoghegan has said Ireland has reached a crossroads.
He said a new Government action plan has to focus on the new homeless but also on those people undergoing years of rehabilitation, who end up back on the streets because they cannot afford a place to stay.
