Rental supplement of €485; rents of €900: Cork's homeless numbers surge by 63%

The number of homeless people in Cork rose by 63% in 2014.

The city's Simon Community said it had witnessed a dramatic surge in demand for its help over the last year.

Donations on the soup run went up by almost a quarter.

Cork's Simon Director Dermot Kavanagh said new rent controls had not helped the situation.

"We've seen a decrease in the supply of rental properties available, and we've seen a huge increase in the rents that are being asked for those properties," he said.

"The rent supplement level in Cork for, say, a single person in need of housing is set at €485 (a month). It's very hard to find any flats available for less than €800-€900."