There has been a 55% rise in the number of homeless families in the country since the start of the year.

But new figures, published by the Department of the Environment, also show that child homelessness outside Dublin is increasing at almost three-times the rate of the capital.

The June report shows that the number of individuals in emergency accommodation are at a high of 3,258.

The report also shows that in the first six months of this year, the number of families increased by 55% from 401 to 620 - while the number of children in emergency accommodation rose to 1,318, representing a 52% increase.

On foot of the report, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said: "It is not good enough for An Taoiseach to say that no family should be in temporary accommodation while he leads a government that stood over increased homelessness."

"Homelessness can be prevented and ended, but it will take investment and political will not the platitudes offered today by the Taoiseach," he added.

Bill Griffin is CEO of Galway Simon Community.

"Over the last three years, and very recently we've now got a change: we've got referrals from mental health services, HSE aftercare, probation and a lot of self-referrals", he told Newstalk Breakfast.

"These self-referrals are coming from people who are, if you like, becoming victims of the turnaround in the country, in that rent levels are on the rise all the time in Galway city - and unfortunately the rent supplement levels are not keeping pace with them".

He told Newstalk Breakfast the situation is likely to worsen as students come into the city from September.