A Socialist Party TD has said that people should break the law if it means keeping a roof above their heads.
Ruth Coppinger said that tenants should refuse to leave their accommodation if it would mean becoming homeless.
Her advice is that people should keep paying rent, but should inform their landlord that they have nowhere else to go.
Deputy Coppinger says the homeless crisis is just getting worse:
In a statement, she said families should “refuse to make themselves homeless... Break the law to keep a roof over your head if necessary.
“The tenant should ignore any threats or attempts to bully them out of the house. The landlord will have to get an eviction order which will take time and give the tenants a chance to get somewhere new to live," she added.
Deputy Coppinger's comments come after three children and their parents were found in sleeping bags on Mountjoy Square in Dublin last night, when an emergency shelter failed to find them beds.
It emerged earlier this week that there has been a 55% rise in the number of families presenting homeless in the country since the start of the year - despite an extra €12 million being added to the homeless services budget by the Government.
The charity 'Inner city helping homeless' came to the help of the family sleeping rough last night. Its Director Anthony Flynn told Newstalk Luncthime how they ended up that way:
