The number of households on local authority housing lists has increased by 18 per cent in the past year, according to a survey by Focus Ireland - the agency working with homeless people.
Focus Ireland has estimated that approximately 140,000 people are waiting for housing. The survey includes not only people who are on the waiting list, but in some cases those waiting to be assessed to get onto the list.
Up to last November, the number of households on local authority waiting lists stood at 53,955.
Over the past two years, there has been a 35 per cent rise in the number of households on the local authority lists.
According to the survey, the numbers on housing lists more than doubled in counties such as Waterford, Westmeath, Monaghan and in south Cork between November 2000 and November 2001.
"These latest figures show the housing crisis and the linked issue of homelessness is a national problem affecting all counties in Ireland and not just Dublin," said Mr Justin O'Brien, head of housing at Focus Ireland.
Waterford County Council showed a 118 per cent increase in its waiting list figures between 2000 and 2001 while Westmeath recorded a 104 per cent increase. The number of households on Monaghan's waiting list increased by 102 per cent.
Cork Corporation's waiting list stood at 4,129 households - a 44 per cent increase on 2000 - while 1,301 households were waiting for housing in Galway city, an increase of 76 per cent.
Approximately 7,477 households were waiting for housing in the Dublin Corporation area, according to a provisional estimate.
Focus Ireland warned that the Government's social housing target of 25,000 new houses over the lifetime of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness would not be achieved because of these waiting lists.
"The Focus Ireland survey indicates a sharp increase in social housing need and the bottom line is that the level of housing need is still increasing dramatically at a much higher rate than the levels of social housing output," Mr O'Brien said.
Single people were disadvantaged on housing lists because most housing developments were for families. "This means the significant percentage of single people in need of housing are spending very long periods of time in emergency accommodation." He said the housing situation had worsened in the past year because of rocketing rents and a lack of security of tenure.
"This has seen a dramatic increase in the number of evictions from private-rented property, as people can no longer afford these rents."
Focus Ireland has called on the Government to tackle the provision of social, affordable housing. "If buying a house is now out of reach of most working people on good salaries, what chance do low earners or unemployed have of ever buying a house or even affording the rents in the private rented sector?" Mr O'Brien asked.
