Focus Ireland says the number of homeless families being referred to it for help last month has quadrupled since 2013.

Some 71 homeless families were referred for help in April - the highest number on record.

The charity says there are also more people sleeping in cars and other inappropriate places.

It says this figure does not reflect the full scale of the problem, as many families who have been assessed as homeless have been refused emergency accommodation by hard pressed local authorities as it is all full.

Focus Ireland has now called for Minister Alan Kelly to issue an urgent ministerial directive, to instruct local authorities that any family that is homeless must be provided with suitable emergency accommodation.

The charity has written to the minister, calling for the directive to be part of a twin-track response - which includes rent certainty and a rise in rent supplement payments.

The director of advocacy with Focus Ireland is Mike Allen.

He told Newstalk Breakfast although more is being done, the problem is still getting worse.