'It's just crazy': Cork students resort to hostels and couch surfing amid accommodation crisis

Students are struggling to source accommodation in Cork city for the academic year and are deferring college places as a result. File picture. 

Students struggling with Cork city's rental crisis are resorting to couch surfing and extended stays in hostel accommodation.

University College Cork Students' Union (UCCSU) Welfare Officer, Caoimhe Walsh, has said many students are unable to source accommodation and for those that do find a suitable place to live, they often cannot afford the rent. 

"There are people who can't find accommodation first of all and what they do find, they just can't afford it," said Ms Walsh.

It is way too expensive and some students have had to defer their place at college.

"College is back in person again but they can't come down because they literally have nowhere to live. 

"There are students couch surfing, swapping between friends' houses, staying wherever they can.

"There are a good few students who came down for college on Monday who are staying with friends until they can find somewhere to live. It's just crazy."

Two Cork hostels have noted an increase in students this year that are seeking longer-term stays, as accommodation searches drag on longer than expected. 

The housing crisis is also impacting students at the University of Limerick. File picture. 

Bru Bar Hostel on MacCurtain Street said a higher number of students are staying at the hostel than in previous years, and they've reported significant interest from students abroad attempting to book rooms for a full year. 

Sheila's Hostel on Wellington Road has noted an increase in guests extending their stays after exceeding the one-week maximum limit, especially among international students.  

The hostel has served previously as a stopover for students new to the city who are looking for accommodation. 

The housing crisis is also impacting students at the University of Limerick.

 

"Shocking State"

One international student who flew to Limerick on September 5 to take up a course at UL on September 6, and who has been staying in a hotel in the city centre, said they wanted “to highlight the shocking state of homelessness” among the student population.

The student is paying €370 a week in a city centre hotel due to the chronic shortage of accommodation in the city and on campus, and fear this will have a long-term impact on their studies.

The student has appealed to the University of Limerick for assistance securing permanent accommodation but without success. 

It comes as student accommodation crises in Galway and Dublin have now been replicated in cities across the Munster following the lifting of Covid restrictions on campus. 

Cork TD Mick Barry has said the student accommodation crisis needs to be addressed as "a matter of urgency", saying it was highlighted for months by student unions. 

The Solidarity TD said the combined pressures of the housing crisis along with a shortage of student digs with families, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has resulted in the issue becoming more severe this year. 

"The Government was warned that a student accommodation crisis was brewing but swanned off on their holidays and took no preemptive action. They need to act now as a matter of urgency," he said.