MORE THAN 12,000 NOW HOMELESS

Calls to reinstate eviction ban as figures revealed

- LOUISE BURNE

HOMELESSNESS figures have once again broken records as the number of people living in emergency accommodation passed 12,000 for the first time.

As the number of homeless children nears 4,000, there have been calls for the eviction ban to be reinstated "immediately".

Figures released by the Department of Housing show 12,259 people were living in emergency accommodation in April. This included 8,665 adults and 3,594 children.

It is the first set of homeless figures to account for the end of the eviction ban on March 31.

Some 1,173 families were classified as homeless. The figures are a 22% increase on April 2022, with a 32% rise in family homelessness in just one year.