Social Democrats has described Ireland's issue of having almost 15,000 people living in homeless emergency accommodation as a "monumental failure".

The party's housing spokesperson Cian O'Callaghan highlighted the rise in figures, noting that in June 2020 there were 8,699 people in homeless emergency accommodation with 2,653 of them being children.

Now, over four years later, there are 14,966 people living in homeless emergency accommodation.

"Shockingly, 4,645 of these are children – a 75 per cent increase since this Government took office," said Mr O'Callaghan.

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"This is a monumental failure that has devastating consequences for people's lives.

"Every child growing up without a home is more likely to be bullied, less likely to do well at school and has higher chance of being hospitalised with preventable diseases.

"We are not a country starved of resources. The outgoing government has had record budget surpluses while simultaneously breaking the homelessness record 24 times."

He continued: "This constant rise in homelessness is not inevitable – it is the direct result of failed policies from a government that refused to treat the housing crisis like the emergency that it is.

"There is no acceptable level of homelessness and that is why the Social Democrats have a plan to not just ‘tackle’ long-term homelessness, but to eradicate it entirely.

"No child should grow up without a home and this should not be a radical statement."