The housing crisis is forcing families into homelessness with children growing up in fear.

That's according to Barnardos who are calling on the Government to address rising rents and the reliance on emergency accommodation by many families.

Chief Executive of Barnardos Fergus Finlay says the government is not treating the crisis with the urgency it needs.

This morning a Fine Gael minister minister was challenged on the government's response to the threat of a housing crisis.

A passerby in Tallaght interrupted an interview with jobs minister Richard Bruton, claiming the government was not doing enough to save people from homelessness.

Minister Bruton said vacant apartment blocks were being taken over for use as social housing.

But the passerby demanded that the government take action - and particularly to stop landlords from refusing to accept rent allowance:Housing lists around the country have grown an average of 42% in the past year.

Figures supplied to the Irish Times show the biggest jump was in County Roscommon which had 252 households on the list last year, and now has 516.

It comes ahead of the launch today of a new Housing Action Group which will see mothers affected by homelessness lobby the Government to make the housing crisis its top priority.

Figures show six new people are now becoming homeless every day in Ireland.

Co-founder of the Housing Action Group Gwen Connell says the Government can't continue to ignore the problem:

At least 127 people are sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin.

Official figures out later this week will show the number of homeless, down 9 percent on the winter period but up 35 percent on the same time last year.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive is planning to secure an extra 60 emergency beds before the end of next month to meet demand.