Almost 3,600 homeless helped by McVerry trust

The Peter McVerry Trust, which works with homeless young people in the Dublin area, helped almost 3,600 last year, an increase of 17 per cent on 2012, according to figures published yesterday morning.

And while the majority of those it helped were young men, it has also seen an increase in the number of homeless couples and families.

The figures mirror the increases being reported across the homelessness sector, with Focus Ireland reporting "an unprecedented increase in the number of families experiencing homelessness".

It says that the number of families “losing their homes has more than doubled” over the past year.

The most recent rough-sleeper count in November 2013 found 139 people sleeping rough in Dublin – the largest number sleeping rough since the count began in 2007.

Yesterday morning the Peter McVerry Trust announced it supported 3,586 in Dublin last year.

Its chief executive, Pat Doyle, said that nearly all of the services that the trust provided recorded increases in the number they supported, with 1,001 people receiving support and advice.