The majority of homeless families in Dublin last year were forced out of their rented accommodation, or were left without a home after a relationship broke down.
Research from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), carried out during 2017, has revealed the main reasons for homelessness.
48% of homeless families last year reported 'loss of or inability to secure' private rental accommodation as a reason for homelessness.
A majority of those cases saw notices of termination issued to the families, while a small number were left homeless for other reasons - such as having to leave poor quality accommodation, or being unable to afford private rents in the Dublin region.
49% of the families, meanwhile, sought emergency accommodation due to family circumstances - with overcrowding or relationship breakdown cited as the main reasons for those cases.
Image: DRHE
The research also highlights the demographics of those looking for emergency accommodation.
The report states: "Lone parent families were disproportionately represented among families experiencing homelessness.
"The 2016 Census revealed that 24% of families were lone parent families compared with 66% and 65% in the cohort of families newly experiencing homelessness in 2016 and 2017 respectively."
The report also showed that there is "disproportionate representation of non-Irish national families" accessing emergency accommodation when compared with the general population.
33% of those accessing emergency accommodation were non-Irish nationals, compared with only 12% of the general population being from other EU or non-EU countries.
Image: DRHE
The average family size of those accessing homeless services, meanwhile, was 2.03 children per family - compared to the general national average of 1.38 children.
DRHE Director Eileen Gleeson highlighted that single parents, large families and foreign nationals are disproportionately affected.
Ms Gleeson observed: "It shows that these are particularly vulnerable groups that we need to be maybe intervening with at an earlier stage."
