Additional reporting by Breakingnews.ie, PA
A record of 11,542 people are living in emergency homeless accommodation.
Figures from the Department of Housing show the total has increased by 26% in the last year.
The figures are usually released at the end of each month, but November's total was delayed because of Christmas.
It shows a record number of adults registered as homeless at 8,048, while there are 3,494 children growing up in emergency accommodations.
November's total is a 1.2% increase on the figures given for October, and is over 10,000 for the eighth month in a row.
The figures from the Department of Housing don't include refugees, asylum seekers, women in refuge centres or rough sleepers.
Housing charity Simon Community said it represents an increase of 1.27% in one month and a 26.85% increase on the same period last year, when 9,099 people were recorded as homeless.
Wayne Stanley, executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, said the eviction ban was an “important step” but if further action is not taken, “unthinkable” homeless figures will be “surpassed and redefined each month”.
“The actions taken while the current moratorium is in place will go a long way to defining what can be achieved in homelessness in the coming year.
“Now we need to see momentum on the provision of secure affordable accommodation to those in homelessness in the coming weeks and throughout 2023.
“Otherwise, we are facing into ongoing extensions and renewals of the eviction ban and that’s not a long-term solution.
“In the short-term, this means doing more with what we have, and looking to the allocation of current local authority housing and vacancy in the general housing stock.
“We need to see more innovation in housing provision in 2023.
“We welcome the focus on rapid-build homes and will be calling on Government to ensure that innovation in this area is driven forward.
“We would also highlight again the need for the insertion of a right to housing in our constitution.”
Twitter users have been quick to express their shock at the figures, with many hitting out at the government for failing to tackle the spiralling homeless rate amid a record exchequer tax surplus.
Another record broken by our government.
11,542 people now in homeless accommodation.— Dáithí K (@tvcritics) January 6, 2023
11,542 people are officially homeless. The number doesn’t include people sleeping rough, couch surfing, overcrowded accom, ppl in women’s refuge and more.
Another record high, including 3,494 children.
3,500 Kids.
— Tony - Pod Guy - Groves (@Trickstersworld) January 6, 2023
A record-breaking 11,542 people are now in Homeless Accommodation.
Ireland rejoiced when it saw the back of the barbaric Magdalene Laundries yet here we are today with more of the same State-Sponsored barbarity repackaged as "Emergency Accommodation" #EndHomelessness
— Peter Dooley (@PeterDooleyDUB) January 6, 2023
11, 542 people in homeless accommodation in November, up 27% y-o_y! This is not counting rough sleepers or the thousands in precarious situations like sofa surfing. The graph is only going one way, and yet the Government will claim their market approach is working. Enough. pic.twitter.com/I3HuFQIpVQ
— Tomás na hOrdóige (@tomas_foolery_) January 6, 2023
