Behind the scenes at Cork homeless hub 

Six nights a week, a building belonging to Cork Corporation is opened to help those living on the streets of our city.

Behind a nondescript metal door on Kyrl’s Quay, those in need of the service begin gathering an hour before the facility has opened.

This hub has been made available since January to the charities that support those in need.

Between 4.30pm and 10.30pm, the facility is available to a few registered charities. It is closed on Saturdays.

On Tuesday and Thursday nights, the volunteers of Homeless Help and Support Cork arrive with food, clothing, and other necessities.

Chairman John Moynihan is there to co-ordinate as he and the other volunteers bring in food that has been donated from the Kingsley Hotel from the back of a van, which was bought with the financial support of Musgrave’s.

“We’d be lost without the van,” John says, “we travel all over the country collecting donations, everything from food to bottled water.

“The item we need the most currently is underwear - men’s and women’s. The PM Group in Blackrock donated underwear to us this week and we are always so grateful for the support.”

John tells me there is also a secretary, treasurer and directors of Homeless Help and Support Cork, who have the use of an office on Union Quay, all making sure this facility runs smoothly.

He, along with previous chairman Paul O’Donoghue, have been with the charity since 2017, and have seen many changes in recent years.

“The numbers of homeless are growing,” he says, “since we’ve started using this facility we’re seeing more every week.

“We’re seeing both men and women. It’s mostly Irish but we have Ukrainians and Romanians too, and some other nationalities.

“Some of the people that come in will try and take all the clothes they can carry so we have to keep an eye on that. Mostly, though, we have no issues.

“People just want to come in, get something to eat, chat for a short while and go.”

How many meals will the organisation serve here tonight?

“About 60,” says John, adding that they often run out.

They operate on a first come, first served basis. “We don’t hold food for anyone,” John adds.

The hub was set up separately to other organisations that help the homeless.

“We’re a charity on our own,” says John. “We organise our own fund-raising and charity events.”

But he adds that they will advise anyone that asks about other facilities in Cork city about other supports and help available to them.

John says the majority of visitors will have an addiction, “be that drugs or alcohol, and with that comes mental health issues”.

It isn’t exclusively homeless people who use the new hub.

“It mostly is, but some, who might be elderly or isolated will come in for hot food, or to charge their phone and have a coffee and a chat,” adds John.

There are 10 volunteers on the Tuesday night I am there, and John says they will have more on the Thursday.

What do they need going forward?

“Everything. We need more volunteers, and more donations. Social media is a great help to us as it brings awareness.”

John adds that the hub is an “amazing” resource for the people visiting it.

“It’s a safe space, a friendly space, and a chance to get indoors for those that live on the street.”

During my visit, as the rain was teeming down, the security team let the clients in early to wait until the hot food was ready to be served. All of the volunteers were smiling and chatty.

An orderly queue formed, and some of the facility users chatted away as they sat and ate, and maybe got an item of clothing or a sandwich to take away.

Cork North Central TD Ken O’Flynn says Homeless Help and Support Cork is a wonderful addition to the supports that are already available.

“This isn’t just about giving someone hot food,” he says, “it’s the milk of human kindness that everyone needs.

“There are wonderful stories of those that used the service and found the inner belief to get help and supported they needed to improve their lives.

“I understand that the council need to cross the T’s and dot the I’s, but we need to move faster to help those who are in need.

“The work of these tireless volunteers is simply amazing, and Cork should become the blueprint for the rest of the country on how these hubs can work.”

To find out more, visit the Facebook page, Homeless Help and Support Cork.