The Government is being urged to prioritise the development of social housing in October's budget.
The Irish Council for Social Housing says the coalition has to reverse the decline in social housing provision - which collapsed along with the construction industry.
The I-C-S-H says the Government should set a target of building and acquiring 6000 homes next year alone.
Yesterday, pensioners Martin and Violet Coyne said they were failed by the system - after being evicted from the home they rented for 15 years.
ICSH Director Donal McManus says the Coynes are symptomatic of a wider problem in Irish society - that many tenants are vulnerable to the motives of the landlord;