FAMILY violence, abuse and rows are significant causes of homelessness among 18-to 25-year-olds, according to Focus Point, the agency that caters for the homeless.
Of 278 clients in a survey, more than one-third cited family problems or family violence as their reason for leaving home.
Some young people leaving home under these conditions "fail to establish themselves independently," Focus Point says in a report, Stepping Out.
The report is critical of the lack of assistance for young people who have been previously in care. In the Eastern Health Board area, about 40 per cent of homeless young people were previously in care, it says.
But, "while in private rented accommodation, many young people find it very difficult to cope. The majority who obtain accommodation in Dublin are living in bedsits in various areas of the city. If they are unemployed, they have little income, their day-today existence is quite lonely with much of their time spent in the confines of their own bedsit".
Some become homeless because they cannot afford a flat.
The report points to the benefits of so-called "foyer" projects in which accommodation for young people is provided along with training, information about job opportunities and personal support. Such projects have been in existence in France since after the second World War.
A high level of support also needs to be provided for young people leaving care, it says.
Young people should not be required to make the transition from dependent living, at home or in care, to independent living "in one magical leap", according to Father Peter McVerry SJ, in a section on what he calls the obstacle course facing young people in need of accommodation.
"Living in a flat involves a lot of skills which some young people have to learn, such as budgeting, planning ahead, not having parties on the site, cooking and cleaning," he writes.
"Every mistake you make risks costing you your flat, as the landlord, who is in the business of making money with as little work as possible, does not relish being a social worker, supporting a vulnerable person and tolerating their mistakes."