The homeless charity Depaul has expressed concern over the growing number of women entering homelessness.
More than 3,000 women are now recorded as homeless across the country, up over 600 on the same time last year.
Due to a shortage of temporary homeless accommodation for families, the charity said mothers are leaving their children in the care of family members in order to access homeless services.
Depaul said the situation will get worse as the impact of the recent lifting of the eviction ban takes effect.
In Waterford city, queues for people seeking to access Depaul's emergency accommodation form on the street almost every night.
Access to a double camp bed set up in the sitting room of the facility is on a first-come, first-served basis.
There is also a couch available if it is required.
Originally set up as a men's hostel, McGwire House opened its doors in 1942 as Lady Lane Hostel to help men experiencing homelessness in the city.
Just over ten years ago it moved to Bath Street and last year Depaul changed the service delivery model to welcome women, as well as men, into the service.
Ellen is currently the only woman living in McGwire House. She became homeless when the house she was living in was sold, which resulted in her sleeping in her car for six months.
When she got accommodation at McGwire House, she acknowledged it was a bit odd being the only woman in the facility for the first two weeks. After that, it was "grand".
"I think I scared them all to death," she said.
"The first woman to walk through the door. They'd never seen a woman coming in here. But it's like a family that’s what it feels like.
"I’m well able to put up with their cheek," she laughed. "They’re a good bunch of lads."
Ellen would like to see more women brought into the hostel, but it is full and she can understand why.
"I do think Waterford has been forgotten," she said.
"We need more places like this (McGwire House). There are abandoned buildings everywhere, and the council could do something about it ... but I think the Government forgets us, we're down here pushed aside."
To keep herself busy, Ellen volunteers at another service that offers hot food to people who are homeless.
She believes that family break up and women experiencing domestic violence are factors in rising homelessness.
"There's a lot of that ... breaking up their partners, going separate ways, not being able to find anything," she said.
"Like I can see it every day here. And all you have to do is walk down the town and you see it.
"I don't think it's fair on the women and I don't think it's fair to the men, because we are equal."
McGwire House opened to women last year due to a shortage of services for them in the southeast. There is a waiting list to get in.
Temporary homeless accommodation is meant to be short-term, but people cannot be moved on due to a lack of housing, which means Ellen is the only woman that has managed to access the accommodation so far.
Depaul Senior Services Manager in the southeast John Dermody acknowledges that it is an issue.
"We’re really happy that we’ve been able to open our doors to offer a safe place and a warm welcome to women, but in terms of the long term, our vision would be to see a service specifically designed for women that caters for the specific needs of women experiencing homelessness, " he said.
Ellen feels helpless watching others being turned away.
"There are only two hostels for women down here," she said.
"And they don't have places either. Their jam packed. You wouldn't believe how many people come to the gates here and sometimes they have to be turned away cause everywhere is full.
"Rain can be lashing down and we can’t do anything about it."
One in four of Depaul’s clients are women, which works with women leaving prison, single women, women with children and women in recovery.
Senior Services Manager Niamh Thornton was instrumental in establishing Suaimhneas on Dublin’s North Circular Road.
It is a female-only service that provides beds for up to six women who have completed a residential drug treatment programme.
Ms Thornton said the problem facing homeless charities such as Depaul centre on meeting the growing needs of homeless women like accommodation, women’s healthcare, childcare and other specific needs.
The latest figures from the Department of Housing show that there are 3,027 single homeless women in Ireland.
Some of those women have families, however, there is a stigma to entering homelessness with children.
"Often they’re leaving their children in the care of grandparents or other family members because there really isn't the availability of accommodation for full families," Ms Thornton said.
Women also have specific health needs in terms of screening services, the menopause, women who are pregnant and women who have cancer.
Ellen in McGwire House is one of those with cancer. She had her thyroid removed because of the disease. Then, two years ago, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Every couple of months, she boards a bus from Waterford city to Cork University Hospital for checkups.
There are efforts under way to move her medical care to Waterford. She described the journey as "a pain", but said "every day has its ups and downs".
Homeless charities say women sometimes take longer to reach out for supports, which leads them to spend longer in hidden homelessness.
Depaul is encouraging women who get eviction notices and are at risk of homelessness to contact their local authority and get support.
Both Mr Dermody and Ms Thornton have been working in homeless services for more than a decade and reflect on current homeless figures.
In Waterford, Mr Dermody said: "I don't think any of us have seen the absence of private rental accommodation like we're seeing right now.
"My concern is and the concern across the sector is that there isn’t the housing to support people to move out. In that sense, it's unprecedented. "
In her office at Suaimhneas in Dublin, Ms Thornton echoes his sentiments.
"I think there’s certainly a feeling now that we are entering a period that we’ve haven’t seen before and that there’s an unprecedented possibility of a really high number coming into services," she said.
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