The Government's response to the current homelessness crisis has been to focus on families, however this has left some of society's most vulnerable people ‘pushed further down the housing queue', according to Merchant's Quay Ireland (MQI).

The national charity, which works with people who are homeless and drugs users, has just published its 2016 Annual Review. This shows that almost 10,000 people nationwide came to MQI for help last year, with needs spanning addiction, homelessness and mental health.

A total of 6,539 people used MQI's homeless services last year and the charity provided 117,398 meals to homeless people - an increase of almost 19% compared with 2015.

MQI also offers primary healthcare services and last year, it provided 7,649 healthcare interventions - a jump of 73% compared with 2015. According to the charity, this clearly shows the major physical and psychological impact of being homeless.

Speaking at the launch of the review, MQI chief executive, Tony Geoghegan, insisted that the impact of the current unprecedented level of homelessness ‘is most acutely felt at street level, where active drug users are being left behind as the Government scrambles to address the urgent needs of families'.

"While we respect the need to prioritise families, and in particular children, we must not lose sight of the urgent needs of thousands of vulnerable single men and women, and in particular those with more complex needs, who are being pushed further down the housing queue," Mr Geoghegan commented.

He said that for drug users living on the street, the possibility of engaging in treatment ‘is extremely remote when you don't know where you are going to be sleeping day to day'.

"Against all odds, some people do successfully engage in and complete treatment. However, their efforts are hugely undermined in the current housing crisis, where access to stable accommodation is almost impossible," Mr Geoghegan noted.

Attempting to move people out of drug addiction is a key aspect of MQI's work. According to the review, residential detoxification and drug-free rehabilitation programmes were in strong demand last year.

Altogether, there were 186 admissions across these services in 2016. Of the 114 people who completed rehabilitation programmes, almost half were homeless.

Mr Geoghegan said that if the Government is serious about addressing the homeless crisis, it has to increase investment in the vital services that are needed to move people out of rough sleeping and emergency accommodation and into stable accommodation and recovery programmes.

"At the end of the day, society isn't just about money, it's about people's lives and ultimately, addressing the drugs and homeless crisis is about saving lives. Most of all, investing in these areas is about reducing the misery associated with homelessness and drugs for the individual, for their families, their communities and for society as a whole."

MQI has 19 locations in 12 counties nationwide. For more information on the charity, click here