Figures from the Department of Housing Homeless Report for November revealed that the total number of people experiencing homelessness almost reached 7,000 for the first time.
Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD accused the Minister Coveney of "trying to bury the bad news".
Deputy Ó Broin said: "The Department of Housing published their Homeless Report for November. It shows that 6985 people were accessing emergency accommodation funded by the Department of Housing in that month including 2549 children.
"The figures don't include adults and children in emergency domestic violence refuges funded by Tusla, non residents in emergency accommodation funded by the New Communities Unit of the Department of Social Protection or those people sofa surfing.
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"The figures also don't detail the length of time people are spending in emergency accommodation with some families left for up to two years in inappropriate hotels or bed and breakfasts.
"The figures released show a 30% increase in family and child homelessness on November 2015 and a 20% increase in adult homelessness.
"Given that Fine Gael have been in office for the last five years these figures are a damning indictment of the failure of their housing policies.
"I am also very concerned that for the second month in a row Minister for Housing Simon Coveney has sought to bury this bad news. His decision not to publish the figures before the Christmas break is clearly motivated by a desire to reduce media coverage and public awareness of his government's failures.
"The Minister is not shy about producing glossy documents and organising high profile press launches to re-announce his housing plans. However, when it comes to rising homeless numbers his preference is to have them slipped onto his Department's website during the holidays without so much as a press release.
"There is an urgent need for the Government to step up its house acquisition and building programme to get these adults and children out of emergency accommodation. AIB and PTSB have offered the State up too 1000 vacant houses for purchase yet inexplicably Government has only provided money for the purchase of 200."
(CD/LM)
