The Housing Minister says the Government will do all in its power to get homeless people off the streets by Christmas.

A forum on the crisis is taking place today at the Department of the Environment involving representatives of voluntary groups and local authorities.

Minister Paudie Coffey says he hopes measures can be achieved at the forum to provide accommodation as soon as possible and today’s meeting was “not a talking shop”.

VIDEO: Housing Minister Paudie Coffey at Forum on homeless crisis

The meeting was been called in the wake of the death of homeless man Jonathan Corrie near Leinster House on Molesworth Street in Dublin earlier this week.