The government is being called to start more building council homes after figures revealed a 40% rise in homelessness since June 2014.

Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Dessie Ellis TD said this was down to "complete government inaction on tackling rising rents and the shortage of social housing".

A report from the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive revealed 371 families, with 803 children, in emergency accommodation in Dublin last month, an increase of more than 40 per cent since June last year.

Deputy Ellis continued: "Unfortunately this is no surprise to me. Every day I am getting more and more calls from desperate people, particularly parents of young families who have been forced into emergency accommodation and see no way out. They are often people who are working or had been working recently or people on Rent Supplement who are barred from work. They have lost their rented home because rent levels have simply become too high to pay and still be able to feed and clothe their children.

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"Rents in Dublin have gone up at least 34% since this government took office. Low income families and people on rent supplement have felt these increases hardest being faced with unaffordable rent increase and in the case of Rent Supplement recipients being forced to hand over more of their social welfare payments in illegal top-ups demanded by landlords.

"We also need to start building council homes. The government promised to deliver 7400 homes this year but 5000 of those are expected to come from the private market. Private construction has slowed and there is a massive shortage of rental properties already, which is why we have the rent crisis. The government should divert these funds into building council housing and use a further 1 billion euro from the strategic investment fund to deliver at least an extra 6500 homes."

(CD)