Latest homeless figures for Waterford revealed as record national levels reached

There are 71 people classed as homeless and accessing emergency accommodation in Waterford, latest figures show. 

There were 12,441 people in emergency accommodation in Ireland last month, according to the Department of Housing.

Figures for May show 8,742 adults and 3,699 children were homeless.

There were 6,358 people homeless in Dublin, 517 in Cork city and county and 263 in Galway city and county.

The figures do not include people in domestic refuges, direct provision centres or people were “couch surfing”.

This represents an increase on the 12,259 people who accessed emergency homeless accommodation during the last week of April.

Minister for housing, Darragh O’Brien, said it was “very disappointing” that the numbers had increased again.

He said the Government was continuing to work “tirelessly to try and bring these numbers down and we will do all in our power to do so”.