3,500 kids in homeless shelters this Christmas....

Calls to extend eviction ban

- LOUISE BURNE

NEARLY 3,500 children spent Christmas in homeless accommodation, stark new figures have revealed.

The number of people without permanent homes once again broke records in December as 11,632 were logged as homeless.

It was the sixth month in a row that homelessness figures reached record levels, despite the Government introducing a six-month eviction ban in November.

There were 8,190 adults and 3,442 children recorded as homeless during the week ending December 25. The number of children in homeless accommodation dropped by 52 compared to November.

Some 71% of homeless people were in Dublin, where 5,793 were in homeless accommodation.

These figures only include the number of people in sheltered premises.