Forty-five 'contingency beds' for the homeless have been activated in Dublin as part of the response to current cold snap.
The Extreme Weather Initiative Protocol was initiated by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) at the weekend and allows for up to 100 extra beds spaces - some of them camp beds - to be used for rough sleepers.
This is on top of the 340 extra beds - 300 permanent and 40 temporary - announced as part of the Cold Weather strategy last November.
A spokesperson for the DRHE said that all beds are now given on a "rolling 24-hour" basis, which means
people do not have to vacate the hostels during the day and meals are provided on site.
The number of outreach teams provided by Dublin Simon and the Peter McVerry Trust to engage with rough sleepers has been doubled.
Outreach workers with Dublin Simon say there are "entrenched rough sleepers" who will choose to sleep out in extreme weather.
They said they will try to persuade them to accept hostel accommodation or to make them safe where they are.
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The last official count found 139 people or 'unique individuals' on the streets over the course of a week.
However, the DRHE said there is now spare capacity in the hostel system with between 70 and 100 empty beds each night.
As part of the Cold Weather Initiative, beds are currently available to anyone at risk of homelessness or rough sleeping even if they are from outside Dublin.
