Homelessness crisis: 'Troubled lives of those living on the margins'

The double tragedy in Cork at the weekend highlights the lonely and troubled existence of those living on the margins, the head of Cork Simon has said.

The homeless charity’s chief executive, Dermot Kavanagh, said it does not discuss its interactions with individuals — both victims in this tragic case had been using homeless support services in the city.

But he said the deaths of these two people prove addressing homelessness is not just about providing shelter and access to housing.

“Our thoughts are with the families and friends of these two individuals. But a tragedy like this makes one think about homelessness and how it is important to remember how homelessness impacts on individuals,” he said.

“It’s a reminder that many people on the margins of society are living lonely and troubled lives.”

Meanwhile, Mr Kavanagh said he expects the Government to sign-off soon on a proposal to provide 20 extra beds in Cork City to address the rough sleeping crisis, as part of the Government response following the death of homeless man Jonathan Corrie in Dublin two weeks ago.

It is estimated that some 30 people a night are sleeping rough in Cork. Cork Simon’s 44-bed emergency shelter on Anderson’s Quay is full every night, with an average of 47 people sleeping there.

However, the shelter accommodated 51 people last Friday night — one of the coldest nights of the year so far, when temperatures plunged below freezing.

The charity has been forced to place mattresses in the shelter’s recreation room to accommodate the extra numbers.

Cork City Council has now submitted a proposal to the Department of the Environment to provide 20 emergency beds, mostly B&B-type accommodation, with referrals coming from organisations such as Simon and the Society of St Vincent de Paul, to ensure there is an available bed for anyone that needs it before Christmas.

Mr Kavanagh said while extra beds are welcome in the short-term, the issue of providing long-term housing still needs to be addressed.

“When the cold weather period ends, there must be offers of housing. Rough sleeping is an appalling experience. It is unacceptable and dangerous in winter. But it is unacceptable at any time of the year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Edel House, a residential centre in the city for girls, women, and children, will hold its annual church-gate collection across the city and county this weekend.

Its chief executive, Tony O’Riordan, said such was the demand for its services they had to turn away an average of 21 women, many with children, every month.

“Demand for family accommodation in particular was so great that we had to organise a portable container for storage and convert an additional room to house families bringing the number of family units to ten,” he said.

“Managing these waiting lists and not being able to accommodate so many who were in real need of our service was a major disappointment for us in trying to fulfil our mission in 2014.”

In a separate development, Focus Ireland is to open a youth housing service in Cork in the New Year, jointly funded by HSE South. It will provide six accommodation units and an outreach service, with the aim of dealing with people aged 18 to 26 who are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.