The number of homeless children in Dublin has reached 1,723, an almost 90 per cent increase in 12 months.
The latest figures, from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) show that during the week of March 21st-27th there were 839 families in emergency accommodation in the capital. These included 1,723 child dependants. This compares with 411 families with 911 children in March 2015.
Three-quarters of the families last month were placed in commercial hotels in lieu of suitable supported homeless accommodation. Generally hotels do not provide cooking or laundry facilities, and families can be forced to share single rooms for up to two years .
The DRHE said last month, while 210 families with 407 children were in supported homeless accommodation, 629 families with 1,316 children were in hotels.
A spokesman said the DRHE used 246 commercial hotels to house families on an emergency basis across the Dublin region in 2015, spending €16.5 million on hotel rooms. Given that the numbers exiting homelessness was far fewer than those entering, last year’s expenditure would be well surpassed this year.
