80 People Accessed Emergency Accommodation Across Wicklow In February

Another record national total for the numbers living in emergency accommodation was set in February.

State figures show it has reached 15,378.

The total includes more than 4,600 children who are registered as homeless and growing up in B&Bs and hotels.

February's figure is 11 percent higher than a year ago - which is showing the rate of annual growth of the numbers in emergency accommodation is slowing.

The issue is most acute around the capital - where there are just under 11,000 registered as homeless - including 3,400 children.

The data shows that 73 percent of those registered as homeless are Irish, British or European.

Department of Housing figures on emergency accommodation don't include rough sleepers, women in refuge centres, asylum seekers, refugees or the so-called 'hidden homeless'.