The number of children living in emergency accommodation in Ireland rose to a record high of 3,904 in September, rising by nine on the previous month, according to the latest figures from the Department of Housing.
The overall number of homeless people in the State rose by 136 to 12,827 last month, of which 8,923 were adults.
There were 1,892 families in emergency accommodation at the end of September, according to the report.
Of the 8,923 adults recorded as homeless in September, a total of 5,822 - or 65% - were single while 5,478 were male.
The majority of homeless adults, a total of 4,751 were aged between 25 and 44 years old.
Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien said tackling the issue of homelessness is a Government priority.
He said: "Those without a home remain the top priority for this Government.
"My department is making funding of €242 million available for the delivery of homeless services in 2024 – a 12.6% increase on the Budget 2023 allocation and we have been clear that there will be no obstacle in funding much needed services."
Focus Ireland has called for immediate action by Government to support children and families while they are homeless.
The charity's CEO Pat Dennigan said: "The Government is not using anywhere near enough of the newly available social housing.
"The Government must act to prevent further suffering for the nearly 4,000 children homeless.
"Some do not even have the vital support provided by the likes of our specialist child support workers. We are doing all we can but what these children need is a place to call home."
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CEO of Depaul Ireland David Carroll said: "We can't afford to normalise these figures - housing, services and funding must meet the needs of the people caught up in this housing crisis and adults and children experiencing long term homelessness must be prioritised.
"Depaul continues to be concerned about the severe impact on individuals and families caught in temporary accommodation."
Pat Green, head of advocacy and volunteering at Dublin Simon Community, described the numbers as "fearful and shocking".
He said two things are required in order to solve homelessness - prevention and housing supply.
He told RTÉ's Drivetime: "You've got to stop people going into the system or you've got to stop families and singles presenting at local authorities and turn them around into homes before they go into homelessness.
"We know from the figures today there's about 80 families exiting homelessness a month in Ireland and the majority of that in Dublin.
"But at the same time the figures today are showing that as those 80 leave, you're talking about 145 families alone entering the system...so the volume there is not meeting the demand."
Sinn Féin's Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has accused the Government of "throwing in the towel" on the housing crisis.
Speaking at Leinster House this afternoon, Mr Ó Broin said that the latest figures on people on emergency accommodation show a rise in homelessness in all categories.
He called on the Government to introduce emergency measures to address the crisis, such as re-introducing a no-fault evictions ban, accelerating the delivering of social and affordable homes by largly removing "red-tape" and expanding the tenant-in-situ scheme.
Mr Ó Broin argued that a fundamental change in housing policy was required, which could only be achieved by a change in Government.
Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the scale of the housing crisis "is touching almost every person in this country".
She added: "There is no acceptable level of homelessness.
"Housing has persistently been a weak point for this Government. We have seen consistent increases in the numbers of people and families entering homelessness under its watch."
