Dr. Tricia Keilthy:

In response to the question as to how invisible children are in the homelessness figures, we certainly need much better data on homelessness. If we do not know what the situation is, we cannot understand it properly or respond effectively. We do not have a good idea of how many children are experiencing hidden homelessness. We also do not count every child who is in transitory accommodation, whether that is those in a domestic violence refuge or those in direct provision with status who cannot move out. We certainly need a more holistic understanding and much better data. We also need to know how many children are affected by homelessness. It is not just about a point in time, but about how many children actually enter into homeless accommodation in the course of their life and how many re-enter homelessness. We are not adequately capturing that. Certainly, any kind of strategy or action plan in relation to this must have good data behind it.