The Simon Community has called for an emergency action plan to tackle homelessness, following the release of the latest figures.

Department of the Environment figures, released overnight, show a total of 70 new families were recorded as homeless in the Dublin Region during July.

The figure tallies with the numbers revealed by homeless charity Focus Ireland.

The average to date in 2015 has been 60 new families each month.

3,285 adults used State-funded emergency accommodation nationally during July.

While the Dublin Region recorded an increase of 49 in the number of homeless adults compared to June, the rest of the country recorded a decrease of 22. 

Niamh Randall of the Simon Communities of Ireland says the Government's response so far is inadequate:

Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe yesterday said, "the Government has significantly increased the amount of funding that is available for the building of new homes. It is taking time for those homes to become available.

"We will refocus and redouble all of our efforts to see what can be done to ensure that, while these homes are being built, alternatives are made available to families who really need support," he added.