Sinn Fein is calling on government departments to release land to make it easier for housing providers to build new homes.

Fra McCann MLA was speaking after the Department of Communities released figures which revealed a 5.8 per cent rise in people presenting themselves as homeless in NI.

The party's spokesperson on housing said:"A housing bulletin released by the Department of Communities shows an increase of 5.8 per cent of people presenting as homeless. This highlights once again the need for additional social houses to be built.

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"In the last recorded quarter 4,924 people presented as homeless.

"Thirty five per cent of those who presented were single males between the ages of 26 to 59 and 32 per cent were families.

"This has a huge impact on areas of high demand such as West Belfast, North Belfast and Derry and is also a slight increase on the same quarter last year.

"Sinn Féin has argued that major investment needs to be put into new builds in these areas.

"It is no longer good enough to say the private rented sector will take the slack.

"Housing providers and the Minister need to concentrate on areas of high demand."

(CD/LM)