Almost 320 in emergency accommodation in midlands

There were 319 people in emergency accommodation in the Midlands during July, new figures today have revealed.

The figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage published today (Friday) show there were 214 adults and 105 children in emergency accommodation in the four Midlands counties of Offaly, Longford, Laois and Westmeath.

There were 80 adults in emergency accommodation in Offaly, 58 in Westmeath, 52 in Laois and 24 in Longford, in the week July 20-26,

The vast majority of adults in emergency accommodation in the Midlands are Irish citizens (161), with 27 from the UK or European Economic Area (27 EU Member States and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and 26 from outside the UK or European Economic Area.

The department does not provide a county-by-county breakdown of the 105 Midlands children in emergency accommodation.

Roscommon is included in the Western region. There were 16 adults in emergency accommodation in the county during the week, July 20-26.

Nationally, there 17,527 people in emergency accommodation, comprising 11,868 adults and 5,659 children.

The official figures do not account for those sleeping rough, couch surfing, or in overcrowded or unsuitable accommodation.