More than 3,000 vacant units have been brought back into use for social housing purposes in the past year, according to the Department of Housing.

A spokesperson said those units included empty flats and derelict housing units, as well as houses acquired under State renovation schemes.

So far this year, 300 vacant units have been acquired by the Housing Agency, which has been tasked with buying 1,600 houses from banks and investment companies over the next three years for social housing.

A national database of vacant homes is being established to determine the exact number of vacant homes around the country.

The number of vacant properties nationwide is estimated to be between 96,000 and 183,000.

The idea for the project comes from Mayo County Council.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the council's Director of Services, Thomas Gilligan, described the initiative as a way to "utilise existing housing stock in order to address the housing need."

"We recognised that tackling vacant homes can have a very significant contribution to addressing the housing need and bringing long-term vacant homes back into use," he said.

He added that it also has the "potential to positively impact on surrounding homes and areas."

Mr Gilligan said the site can be accessed by anyone, with the aim of reaching out to the public and in particular local communities.

He added that they are working with the Data Protection Commissioner at the moment in relation to privacy concerns arising from the site.

Mr Gilligan said an aim of the site was to identify the owners of the vacant homes.

Details of the database are being announced as figures from the Department of Housing show that 7,941 people - including 2,895 children - were without a home in June.

There has been an increase in the number of homeless people using emergency accommodation.

Director of Advocacy with Focus Ireland Mike Allen described the figures as deeply depressing and upsetting, and welcomed the move by the council.

Mr Allen compared the problem to people hoarding food during the famine.

"They are the worst figures that we've ever seen, there is 30% more children homeless now than when the Government published Rebuilding Ireland.

"A large number of Irish people seem to own property and don't seem to have any particular desire or need to bring it back into productive or economic use, and initiatives like the Mayo initiative need to be backed up by some form of push factor," he said.

"It's like hoarding food in the famine if you have an empty property that can be used and you're not using it," he added.

The Government has said there were 900 people exiting homelessness in the first 3 months of this year and that progress is being made in moving families out of hotels.

The Government committed to getting all families out of hotels and B&Bs by July, but to date only 232 families have left.

Mr Allen said he does not know where those families have gone as the Government was collecting and publishing the information, but until recently was not publishing them anymore.