Woman and six children sleep on chairs in Dublin Garda station overnight

A photo of children sleeping on chairs in a Dublin Garda station has brought the issue of child homelessness into sharp focus this morning.

The family of seven were forced to sleep in the waiting room of Tallaght Garda station last night when they had nowhere else to go. Gardaí confirmed that the six children and their mother presented at the station yesterday evening. The children ranged in age from 11 to one. Gardaí called all of the homeless emergency lines to try to arrange beds for the family for the night. They also contacted a number of local hotels but no accommodation was available, reports Newstalk. The family stayed there overnight and reportedly received a hot breakfast in the station this morning. Their plight was highlighted on social media by Inner City Helping Homeless's Anthony Flynn. "This is what this country has succumbed to, this is how homeless services are treating our children," he wrote on Facebook. "I’m in utter shock, seven children sleep in one city Garda Station and 8 families referred to stations as nowhere to send them."