Over 5,000 children spending Christmas in emergency accommodation 'shameful'

The latest figures on Irish homelessness have revealed that 5,321 children spent their Christmas in emergency accommodation.

The report, which was released on Friday, highlights that a total of 16,996 people are considered homeless across the country. 

Children account for over 31% of that figure, which Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson, Deputy Rory Hearne, described as "shameful."

"This meant 5,321 children opened their Christmas presents in a hotel room or substandard accommodation instead of in a secure, permanent home," he said.

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A total of 2,525 families are homeless, while 7,382 people from a single household do not have a place to call home. 

6,992 men are homeless, while 4,683 women are.

Those aged between 25 and 44 are the age cohort that is most affected by homelessness, with over 53% of homeless people falling into this age bracket. 

Dublin is the worst-affected area for homelessness with 8,214 adults living without a home there.

The North-West has the lowest number of homeless people with 164 adults living in emergency accommodation.

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50% of the people without a home are Irish, with 30% coming from countries outside of Europe and the United Kingdom. 

"This government continues to refuse to accept responsibility for this crisis and instead tries to deflect from its own failures. In recent days, we have seen Tánaiste Simon Harris outrageously attempt to conflate rising homelessness levels with immigration. Not only is this assertion wildly inaccurate, it also completely ignores the fact that evictions, unsustainable rents and a chronic shortage of affordable properties remain the main drivers of rising homelessness levels," Deputy Hearne added.

He concluded that these figures are a "stain on our society" and called on the government to take useful action to tackle the problem.