New figures out today show the number of homeless families and children in emergency accommodation has risen by over 50% since the start of the year.
According to the Department of Environment the number of homeless adults urgently needing a bed is at a high of 3,258.
Its report also shows that in the first six months of this year the number of families seeking immediate help increased from 401 to 620, while there were over 1,300 children in emergency accommodation - representing a 52% rise.
Niamh Randall is the national spokesperson for homeless charity, the Simon Community:
