Irish Examiner view: Cynics can point to lack of action on homelessness

Has an entire year been lost in tackling the most pressing social problem in Ireland? 

A high-level group charged with strategic co-ordination of homelessness services in Cork has not met since December 2021. Picture: PA

One issue which is never far from the headlines is the problem of homelessness. On a weekly basis, it seems, we learn that the number of people without a home of their own continues to spiral higher, but homelessness and its manifestations are also visible beyond bald statistics.

Whether in the recent story of a man fined for pitching a tent in a UCC car park, or in the reports of those trying to aid the homeless in the recent freezing temperatures, the scale of the homelessness problem in Ireland is well established.