Holly Cairns: How many homeless people are not being counted?

If local authorities can turn away people in caravans with no running water or power, and those fleeing abusive families, the homeless figures mean nothing

All the indications are the official number of people recorded as homeless may only be the tip of a much larger iceberg. They don’t account for people who are couch surfing or those sleeping rough on the streets. Picture: Larry Cummins

The unrelenting rise in homelessness paints a grim picture of a modern Ireland where, despite the country's wealth, some of our most vulnerable citizens continue to fall through the cracks.

The latest record-breaking figures are stark, with 16,614 people now living in homeless emergency accommodation. Shamefully, more than 5,000 of them are children. These numbers are a damning indictment of failed housing policy by successive governments.

Last week’s launch of the Government’s new housing plan will do little to ease the suffering of those at the sharp end of homelessness. Like previous plans, it is a recipe for failure that falls well short of the emergency response needed to tackle this crisis.

But even the homelessness statistics don’t tell the full story. All the indications are the official number of people recorded as homeless may only be the tip of a much larger iceberg. They don’t account for people who are couch surfing or those sleeping rough on the streets.

We often hear about the scandal of hidden homelessness. However, figures released to my office following a Freedom of Information request highlight the true scale of the problem in Cork.

Since Cork County Council took over homeless services from the City Council in 2019, presentations for homelessness have skyrocketed. At the same time, the number of refusals for homeless services has risen dramatically.

In 2019, the first year  Cork County Council took the lead in this area, 196 people presented themselves to the council as homeless. By 2024, that number had shot up to 810 — a four-fold increase in just five years.

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns: 'In the past month alone, I have been contacted by several individuals who have been denied access to homelessness services in Cork. The basis for the refusal was the council’s belief that they were already adequately housed.' Picture: Gareth Chaney

What is equally concerning is the number of those refused homelessness services. In 2019, the refusal rate stood at 47% — by 2024, that figure had risen to 70%.

Every single week, I deal with people who are either experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. It is not by choice they are presenting themselves to the council to be assessed for homeless accommodation — they just want a safe and secure home to call their own. Given the lived reality of so many, the level of refusals is difficult to understand.

Just last week, Cork county councillors voted on the local authority's budget allocations for the coming year. The figure allocated to homeless services decreased due to a reported drop in demand. 

But the reduction in funding is baffling when you consider 2024’s high refusal rate. It is certainly at odds with the level of demand I hear about from constituents on an almost daily basis.

Across Cork South-West, most people tend to act when they witness the tragedy of rough sleepers in our towns and villages. Local residents have been quick to mobilise to help individuals experiencing visible homelessness. This shows us at our very best, demonstrating the compassion that exists in our communities.

The harrowing stories of those experiencing homelessness highlight the desperation and hopelessness felt by so many. Tenants who have received eviction notices and have no idea what they are going to do next; women and children trapped in domestic violence situations because they’ve nowhere else to go; those who are couch surfing or staying in overcrowded family homes.

In the past month alone, I have been contacted by several individuals who have been denied access to homelessness services in Cork. The basis for the refusal was the council’s belief that they were already adequately housed.

This simply beggars belief. One of the rejected applicants was living in a caravan with no access to water or electricity. Another was told to return to a family home where there was a history of abuse. In all cases, those concerned did not want to enter emergency accommodation but had come to a point where they felt they had no option.

As a result of the council’s decision, their lives will remain unseen and uncounted, as they will be excluded from the official homelessness figures published every month.

We need to examine in depth what is happening here. Why are so many people being refused access to the services they are seeking? What is the criteria being applied to these decisions? And why is there such a rise in the refusal rate?

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The worrying refusal figures released to me by Cork County Council should shine a fresh light on hidden homelessness. If we are not measuring the problem properly, how can we ever hope to address it by ensuring there are adequate levels of services and supports in place?

• Holly Cairns is leader of the Social Democrats and a TD for Cork South-West