The nations homelessness crisis is getting worse as each day passes, and now the nations capital has seen a 90% increase in the number of vulnerable children being left homeless over the past year.
According to figures released by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive an appalling 1,723, were left without a home to go to over the past 12 months. Latest figures show that a staggering 838 families were forced to seek shelter in an emergency accommodations throughout the city during the week of March 21st-27, of the 839 families a total of 1,723 were child dependants. The alarming figures compares to 411 families with 911 children in the same month last year.
The Homeless Executive revealed that nearly three-quarters of the families who reported to the organisation were placed in commercial hotels. The Homeless Executive say although the emergency accommodations do provide shelter hotel rooms are adequately equipped to cater for large families ass they lack necessary cooking or laundry facilities, whilst large families can be forced to share single rooms for up to two years .
The Homeless Executive also revealed that they successfully supported 210 families with 407 child dependents by offering temporary but adequate homeless accommodation. Although a further 629 families with 1,316 child dependents were forced to seek shelter in hotels.
A spokesman said the Dublin Region Homeless Executive used a total of 246 commercial hotels to house stuggling families on an emergency basis across the Dublin region last, at the cost €16.5 million.