Figures lay bare Cork's housing crisis with 1,066 unable to move out

MORE than 1,400 people in Cork city are living in unsuitable accommodation with a further 282 sleeping in emergency beds for the homeless.

City Hall chiefs have given the clearest insight yet into the state of the housing crisis in Cork, revealing that more than a thousand applicants for social housing have been forced into unsuitable sharing arrangements, typically adults and young families who have been forced to move in with their parents due to housing shortages and sky-high rental prices.

The council revealed that 1,066 people are “involuntarily sharing accommodation” and a further 261 applicants on the social housing list have a disability requirement that has not yet been met. A further 10 people are living in unfit accommodation, 89 are living in overcrowded situations and 24 are on the list after it was concluded their mortgage was unsustainable.

The figures released by Cork City Council last night also revealed that, in total, more than 4,484 people remain on the city council social housing waiting list.

Meanwhile, it was also revealed that 156 families had applied for housing assistance in April, for the first time.

Sinn Fein councillor Tommy Gould said the housing crisis in Cork is worsening.

Mr Gould has called on City Hall to develop its own strategy, instead of following the Government line.

He added that people and families on the housing list for anything less than three or four years were unlikely to be housed any time soon by city council.

A council spokesperson said 2018 will bring with it significant construction across the city, including the delivery of 400 new homes.

The spokesperson added that alleviating the current waiting list for housing would take time, as it is part of a five-year plan.

Sinn Féin councillor Chris O’Leary said that Cork City Council has successfully housed people in the past, and he highlighted the importance of people registering on the housing application website.

Mr O’Leary’s fellow Sinn Féin councillors, Mick Nugent and Henry Cremin, have called for more training for people using the site.

They say that some people were missing out on houses due to not navigating the site properly.