Sinn Féin has hit out at the government over the housing crisis in Dublin and Louth.

The party said the government is responsible for the crisis and is calling for the housing policy to be changed.

SF President Gerry Adams said: "There are 5,000 citizens in temporary shelter across the state, including 1500 children. There are nearly 2,300 people in emergency accommodation in this city, including almost 1,300 children and the number of homeless children in Dublin has increased by 63%.

"The Simon Community has rightly described this as a humanitarian crisis. Last Christmas much was made of the Taoiseach's time on the streets meeting those living rough and at risk following the death of Jonathon Corrie in a doorway just opposite this chamber.

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"The failure of government policy is evident in the fact this year the number sleeping rough is greater than when Jonathan Corrie died in front of this building in the run-in to Christmas last year."

Waterford has seen a 74% rise in the number of people presenting as homeless in the first eight months of 2015.

Mr Adams continued: "This humanitarian crisis is a direct result of government policies. There is a chronic lack of social and affordable housing. The government has built only a fraction of the social housing needed. It has refused to tackle rising rents or rent uncertainty. That is policy.

"This Government needs to completely change the manner in which it views tenants. These are citizens with basic rights, not mere cash cows for private landlords. The housing and homeless crisis is now a humanitarian crisis."

(CD/JP)