The number of people living in emergency accommodation reached another record high last month.
A total of 17,548 people were living in emergency accommodation in April according to the Department of Housing.
This included 11,944 adults and 5,604 children across 2,707 families.
It is an increase of 31 people compared to the previous month and a 13% rise since last year.
Child homelessness is up 17% since April 2025.
Despite an increase in the overall numbers, Simon Communities of Ireland noted here had been a decrease in homelessness among single households as well as those who are over 65.
There were 265 over 65-year-olds homeless in April, which is down from 279 from March.
Simon Communities Executive Director said that over the last two years, an average of four people a day have entered homelessness and more people are spending longer in homeless accommodation due to a lack of move-on options.
Ber Grogan called for all stakeholders to come to the table to address homelessness, including landlords.
"Unless the Government, local authorities, landlords and homeless services come together to address the issue, we will continue to see more people entering homelessness each month," he said.
Responding to the figures, Focus Ireland called on the Government to "act urgently" by significantly increasing funding for Tenant in Situ purchases to protect families and individuals receiving State housing supports, such as the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).
The charity pointed out this cohort was at very high risk of losing their homes and entering homelessness.
It said that with demand for emergency accommodation already at unprecedented levels, there is also a serious risk that suitable accommodation will not be available for households presenting to homeless services as Notices of Termination begin to expire.
CEO Pat Dennigan said that while the Government has said that it anticipated the increase in eviction notices following changes to rental rules, "the problem is that they have done absolutely nothing to help the thousands of people now facing eviction".
He described the scale of evictions and "the misery it will create" as "truly shocking", with more than 7,000 notices issued in the first three months of the year.
"This points to the intense and growing pressure facing renters and underlines the strain on the housing system created by over a decade of failed housing policies," he said.
Depaul described the latest figures as "hugely disappointing".
It pointed out that the homeless figures do not include "the full extent of the issue including the 5,000+ individuals, with permission to remain, who are currently stuck in IPAS emergency accommodation."
Of those, more than 1,000 have received letters requiring them to leave IPAS accommodation this summer.
The homeless charity has warned that without intervention, many of those affected - despite having refugee status or permission to remain - are at serious risk of ending up in homelessness.
CEO David Carroll said they face immense pressure to secure accommodation within tight timeframes - placing additional strain on an already overburdened private rental market which is likely to increase reliance on emergency homeless accommodation.
"We are calling for urgent cooperation between departments and a specific strategy to enable people to leave international protection. We look forward to plans being developed by the Department of Housing, alongside the Department of Justice, to prevent homelessness for those in the IPAS system, with permission to remain," he said.
Sinn Féin's Housing Spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said: "Yet again we're seeing a record number of adults and children and families in emergency accommodation, and month after month we keep saying that unless the Government introduces an emergency response to address this crisis, it's going to get worse."
Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Rory Hearne said the record-high has resulted from record-high evictions - all which can be traced back to "disastrous Government housing policies".
He noted that emergency accommodation hubs in some local authority areas, which are at capacity, are unable to take in any more families, and these are not counted in the figures.
Deputy Hearne said it could therefore be assumed that thousands of families who are on waiting lists are in hidden homelessness, sleeping rough or couch surfing.
'Normal home setting'
As secondary schools students finish up for the summer holidays, Service Manager at the Salvation Army's Dublin's Houben House Family Hub, Anthony Byrne, said that that he worries for teenagers in particular who are not in a "normal home setting" for a prolonged period of time for the summer months.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, he said that he was concerned that the gap from school will have a negative effect on their relationships, friendships and mental health.
He said that the homeless hub is meant to be a short term facility, but that there are over 221 children and 127 adults currently living there.
