Cork council to encourage 'co-living' for like-minded single people after pilot project success

The advantages of the scheme is that it gets more single people into one house, rather than having to provide them with single units, and the occupants are not socially isolated and can share bills

Successful pilot projects have been undertaken in Cobh involving ex-military personnel with the help of ONE (Organisation of Ex-Service Personnel), the Defence Forces charity. File picture: Denis Minihane

Cork County Council will encourage more like-minded single people into “co-living” in three- and four-bed local authority houses following successful pilot projects, according to its head of housing.

Moving single people off the waiting list into larger homes when they become vacant is seen as key to reducing numbers in need of accommodation, the local authority says.

Successful pilot projects have been undertaken in Cobh. However, they involved ex-military personnel with unique backgrounds, which is suitable for sharing accommodation.

They have shared confined spaces in army barracks and on navy ships, and groups of these like-minded people have learned to get along over the years, which makes them ideal candidates for this type of house sharing.

Independent councillor Ger Curley, a former Naval member, said two houses in Cobh have already been used by the council for a pilot scheme, and he is hopeful another will shortly be allocated in that town to retired members of the Defence Forces.

The council worked on allocating these with the help of ONE (Organisation of Ex-Service Personnel), the Defence Forces charity. Mr Curley said local ONE representative John Lawlor, who manages the houses on the council’s behalf, helped to handpick people he knew would get along living in the same house.

“It has worked very well, and there are great advantages in doing this for the council and for the people involved. Firstly, the council gets more single people into one house, rather than having to provide them with single units which are more expensive,” Mr Curley said.

Secondly, he added, there are advantages for the occupants as they are not socially isolated and can share the utility bills, which saves them money.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s Northern Division, Keith Jones, head of the local authority’s housing directorate, said the council is looking to engage with voluntary housing bodies to identify like-minded people who could share houses.

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He spoke after the chairman, independent councillor William O’Leary, asked about progressing schemes around the county, like in Cobh. Mr O’Leary said that when four-bed council houses come up for reallocation, consideration should not only be given to families but to single people who would be suitable for co-living.

Mr Jones said there is “huge value” in doing this, and the council is actively engaging with voluntary housing bodies and organisations like ONE to progress more co-living projects. Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre O’Brien told Mr Jones that the council should be pushing to acquire additional properties which can accommodate more singles and doubles also and he said it is doing so.