Sinn Fein has raised serious concerns over the site for modular homes in Finglas, Dublin.

The party is concerned that is not suitable to provide as many units as planned and wants assurances over the Poppintree site that co-op housing already planned will be guaranteed and funding put in place.

Housing Spokesperson Dessie Ellis TD said: "If families are to be housed temporarily in modular units, then the planning and servicing of these units and the sites where they are placed is paramount. The homeless crisis had become too severe and too many families are suffering to allow the luxury of dismissing options for more emergency accommodation. However, that does not mean we can simply dump families anywhere and ignore the risk of ghettoising already hard pressed families and communities.

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"We need to build homes, implement control rents, and increase rent supplement. Sinn Féin have been pushing for such measures to tackle the root causes of homelessness for years. Unfortunately, the government has consistently chosen not to listen. These policies take time and we need to provide shelter for those with none right now while we build the homes they need.

"I also have concerns for communities like Cherry Orchard which has many serious social issues to deal with as well as having severely oversubscribed services and a lack of shops or other amenities. Units must be more spread out throughout the city instead of dumping large numbers of homeless families in on top of each other in areas already hard pressed to provide for the current population."

(CD/LM)