Last year was the worst year ever for family homelessness, according to a new report.

The number of families becoming homeless every month rose from an average of 34 in 2014 to 62 in 2015. Furthermore, the total number of families forced to live in emergency accommodation jumped from 407 in December 2014 to 775 by the end of 2015.

The figures are contained in the 2015 Annual Report of homeless charity, Focus Ireland. Last year, it worked with over 12,500 people nationwide - an increase of 9% when compared to the previous year.

The charity not only works with homeless people, but also those at risk of homelessness and those who may need continued support in their new homes having been homeless previously.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Focus Ireland founder, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, pointed out that Ireland's response to homelessness is still based on legislation drafted in the late 1980s, when homelessness mostly involved adult single men.

"It must be clear to everyone that the risks we are dealing with now are completely different because hundreds of children are involved. Everyone is trying hard to make the outdated system work but services across the country desperately need leadership from Government to update the rules to reflect the new reality," she commented.

She called on the Government to urgently issue a national directive to ensure that no family can be left without an offer of emergency accommodation.

"If this situation is not addressed immediately, I fear we will see families with children being forced to spend a night on our streets," she insisted.

While Focus Ireland has broadly welcomed Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's action plan for housing and homelessness, it noted that more is needed to tackle the specific issue of family homelessness.

"At present, the only firm commitment in the action plan to these families is to eliminate the use of hotel rooms and provide better emergency accommodation through ‘rapid build' housing, and to provide better supports to them while they remain homeless. This is welcome but even the best emergency accommodation is not a home," commented Focus Ireland chairperson, Gerry Danaher.

He pointed out that there is little in the plan that will reduce the number of families losing their homes, or that will help others to secure a home.

"A second issue is that every night the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and Focus Ireland struggle to ensure that every family has somewhere safe to stay, and it is not uncommon for us to still be seeking beds for 10 or more families late into the evening.

"Frequently we are still seeking rooms for some of these families as midnight approaches. The action plan is essentially silent on this crucial issue. The risk of children being forced to sleep rough with their families for want of an emergency bed is now an every night reality," Mr Danaher said.

He used the launch to announce a decision by the board of Focus Ireland to provide 600 more homes by 2019. The charity aims to deliver 150 homes a year over the next four years, which will double its current housing stock.

For more information on Focus Ireland, click here