Homeless families are being forced to sleep in Dublin Airport because they have nowhere else to go.

Leading homeless campaigner, Father Peter McVerry, says the crisis is the worst he has ever seen it and he is warning that families will soon be living on the streets for the first time since the famine.

A new campaign has been launched to mount protests against the government to increase funding, which will target TDs on their first day back after the summer break.

Father McVerry says the homeless figures are spiralling out of control, with 577 households joining “the Dublin social housing waiting list in the last two months. That is almost 20 houses per day coming saying ‘we don’t have suitable accommodation’

He says the current crisis is being felt hardest by families and they’re getting desperate.

“We have parents putting their children into care to prevent them sleeping on the streets with the parents,” he said.

“I know parents who have gone out to the airport to spend the night.

“I have one family who asked could they sleep in my car tonight because they had nowhere to go. I advised them to go out to the airport to be honest, at least it’s dry, it’s warm,” he added.