A leading social activist has appealed to the government to urgently introduce rent controls as a means of tackling homelessness.
Fr Peter McVerry was responding to new figures showing that over 160 people are sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin.
He said the real figure is probably twice that number, as it doesn't include those sleeping rough in parks and abandoned buildings.
Last night, temperatures dropped to minus two degrees in several parts of the country.
Fr McVerry said while resolving homelessness is a long-term challenge, it is possible to end rough sleeping almost overnight:
