Peter McVerry Trust proposes new plan for tackling homelessness in rural Ireland
The Peter McVerry Trust says new ideas are needed to make sure there isn't a missed opportunity to tackle rural homelessness.
The charity is putting forward eight measures designed to address the problem in rural areas.
Among them is the setting up of a multi-agency task force on rural homelessness and better provision of housing for single people.
CEO Pat Doyle says action needs to be taken to address the problem.
He said: "Homelessness, as we know, is at huge levels across the country and although it is beginning to stabilise or at least slow down in Dublin there is evidence that there is more family homelessness occurring in rural Ireland.
"There's a whole load of housing in rural Ireland that's vacant and we need to get access to this."
Mr Doyle said they want landlords to make more housing available.
He said: "The repair and lease scheme should be used - that's where a landlord would have property but wouldn't necessarily have the money to bring that property back into use, the repair and lease scheme should be used to work with local landlords and authorities to bring those units back.
"If you leave out the five or six major urban areas in the country the numbers of homelessness is quite manageable in the sense that we should be able to get a local response."
