Charities join up to rent to rough sleepers

Four voluntary homeless agencies, frustrated with the Government’s inaction, have launched a radical initiative to tackle the “sleeping rough” crisis.

Cork Simon, Focus Ireland, St Vincent de Paul, and Threshold have joined forces to form the Cork Rentals and Housing Support Partnership to source flats in the private rental sector, and lease them directly from landlords to homeless people.

Cork Simon chief executive Dermot Kavanagh said the agencies “had to act”.