Only five per cent of total spending was spent on prevention measures.

The Dublin Simon Community said more than 15,000 people in emergency accommodation was ‘a number previously thought inconceivable’

A mother-of-four has described how her family stayed in emergency accommodation for 11 months before moving into a house.

Data shows that 10,067 adults and 4,419 children were accessing emergency accommodation during the last week of August.

More than 4,400 children were also accessing such services, according to the latest figures.

A total of 55,367 adults became homeless and entered emergency accommodation over the 10-year period

The Government introduced a ban on no-fault evictions last winter.

The Cold Weather Strategy focuses on expanding current capacity to meet the “increasing demand for emergency accommodation” while also providing a “targeted response for people who are long-term rough sleeping.”