'We have nurses crying themselves to sleep': Health workers hit by Cork’s housing crisis

NURSES, doctors, and consultants are turning down offers of employment in Cork city in vast numbers as they cannot secure accommodation, according to a website hosted by a Cork entrepreneur.

HomeHak founder Pat Drinan says there is a “serious accommodation crisis facing frontline staff and hospital workers, resulting in more of these vital staff relocating elsewhere.”

Mr Drinan is encouraging homeowners who have spare rooms to consider earning up to €14,000 a year tax-free by offering short-term rentals to nurses and doctors who might need a place to stay, in some cases for an initial period before they progress to renting a family home.

A spokesperson for the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) told The Echo that “issues finding accommodation are known to be one of the key factors driving emigration at the moment, and this is a huge concern when it comes to young nurses and midwives starting out in their professions”.

“When people are working long shifts or working nights, it’s vital that they can find a decent standard of accommodation within a reasonable distance of their work,” said the spokesperson.

“Working conditions in the health service have gone from bad to worse since the start of the pandemic, and leaving their jobs or leaving the country is something we now hear about frequently from our members. Keeping nurses and midwives in Ireland is crucial to ensuring we can staff Irish hospitals over the coming years, and housing is a big part of that.”

Mr Drinan’s company is in touch with healthcare workers on a daily basis who are seeking suitable accommodation, and he has seen first-hand how difficult this is.

There were around 1,700 more nurses and almost 900 more doctors working in the HSE by the end of 2020, compared to the end of 2019. The increase in healthcare workers contributed to an expenditure increase of over €3bn between 2019 and 2020.

Mr Drinan says a huge issue is finding housing for foreign nurses and doctors coming to Cork, often replacing local student nurses emigrating abroad for a better life.

Matching these workers to housing depends on the references and employers involved.

'DIRE SITUATION'

“The medical professionals are in a pretty dire situation,” he said. “They are brought into Ireland on two-year visas and there are visa restrictions.”

If workers do not procure permanent accommodation within a certain time period, this can affect their bank account and employment.

“We have lots of stories about nurses crying themselves to sleep because they don’t have a place to go, and the clock is counting down on temporary accommodation,” said Mr Drinan.

“They are competing in the city against the executives and the multinationals and the students.

“Imagine a nurse who goes out and can afford €800 a month — it’s hard for her to compete. But if four nurses come together, they get their references, and verify their ID using HomeHak, all of a sudden you have four people with purchasing power of up to €3,000.

“They can save money as individuals but if they have everything prepared in advance, imagine how much more attractive they are from the homeowner and the letting agent’s perspective.”

HomeHak is the first company in Ireland to use Stripe Identity, and a streamlined online reference collection system.

Mr Drinan hopes the Cork company will go worldwide with its proprietary technology in the coming months, bringing its services to a global audience.

HomeHak allows homeseekers to create and display their details in the form of a tenant CV, to be found and selected by homeowners, landlords, and letting agents.

Homeowners can advertise their rooms or properties for free on the platform.