Eight homeless families stuck in emergency accommodation in Cork for over a year
Some homeless people from the county have gone into Cork City to get shelter with the Simon Community, while others are being put up in hotels and B&Bs.
Some eight families and 24 individuals have been in emergency accommodation in Cork county for more than 12 months.
Senior council officials have conceded they need to do more to ensure people do not stay for lengthy periods in emergency accommodation. MacDara O Hici said the local authority has "to start making inroads" and ensure people can move into more suitable housing.
Some homeless people from the county have gone into Cork City to get shelter with the Simon Community, while others are being put up in hotels and B&Bs.
The latest figures released by Cork County Council show there are a large number of people from its area of control living in emergency accommodation.
As of the end of last month, there were 24 families and 71 single people living in emergency accommodation. Out of those, 11 families and 25 single persons have been housed in such accommodation for at least six months.
Three families and 12 singles have been in emergency accommodation for between six months and a year. Meanwhile, eight families and 24 single people have been in the same situation for more than a year.
The biggest number of homeless people originally come from the most populous of the council’s three divisions — South Cork. Currently, there are 15 families and 43 singles in emergency accommodation who hail from that division, which encompasses an area stretching from Youghal to Mid-Cork.
Mr O Hici acknowledged that more needs to be done by the local authority, with other agencies' support, to get homeless people into proper long-term accommodation.
“We have to start making inroads, especially with the eight families and 24 individuals who have been in emergency accommodation for in excess of 12 months,” he said.
Other senior council officials have previously said that it can be difficult because of ‘personal issues’ to re-house some people who have been made homeless for one reason or another.
The council figures show that it has been able to successfully re-house 21 homeless people in permanent accommodation since July 2021.
Cork Simon supported nearly 1,500 homeless people last year. This year, it is encountering more people than ever who are sleeping rough, while record numbers are relying on emergency accommodation.
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