The Labour party say they'll invest a further €35m to tackle long term homelessness if re-elected.

Launching the party's housing policy earlier Minister Alan Kelly called for more rapid-build houses.

He called for local authorities to support them, saying there's no point supporting homelessness if you won't allow modular homes in your own back yard.

Minister Kelly says building more of these units is key to tackling homelessness.

"At the moment we are building 500 rapid-build houses in Dublin.

"I want to see that executed this year, I want to see them in place. What we are saying is that we need to increase them.

"They're incredible, they are actually incredible houses, for myself when I visited them I was even taken aback. I knew they'd be good but how good they were was something that really astonished me."