There have been increased calls to set up a dedicated task force to prevent one-parent families falling into homelessness. 

The latest figures from the Department of Housing show there were 12,827 in emergency accommodation in September, including 3,904 children. 

Some 75% of homeless families are headed by single parents. 

The National One Parent Family Alliance (NOPFA) has called on the Government to introduce a dedicated taskforce to address the rise of single parents in homelessness. 

It said targeted measures for single-parent families should be introduced in social protection, rent arrears, Housing Assistance Payment top-ups, treatment of mortgage and rent payments. 

Children 'uprooted'

Barnardos National Policy Manager Stephen Moffatt said homelessness trends are “worrying”. 

“Lone-parent families are families often experiencing significant disproportionate levels of deprivation amongst other issues,” he said. 

“We’re really concerned about those families, and particularly about the children living in those families.” 

He said each of the 3,987 homeless figures represents a child who has gone through severe trauma. 

“They might have been uprooted from their homes, uprooted from their schools, moved away from their friends, families, and children do find that traumatic,” he said. 

A person wrapped in a sleeping bag in Dublin city centre in January 2021. Picture by: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

NOFPA Chair Karen Kiernan said there has been a surge in homelessness since the eviction ban was lifted, particularly among one-parent families. 

“It is important to note that these statistics only include families accessing emergency accommodation, suggesting that the true extent of homelessness among one-parent families may be even more concealed,” she said. 

“Many of these families are grappling with the cost-of-living crisis, high poverty rates and deprivation, causing them to return to their original family homes for support. 

“With better coordination and a sustained focus on the needs of one-parent families, it is possible to reverse this trend and prevent the trauma of homelessness for parents and children."