800 Cork people saved from homelessness in last three months

More than 800 Cork people were at risk of entering homelessness between April and June of this year, and were saved from this fate by the help of a charity.

Figures provided to The Echo by National housing charity Threshold show that 320 households comprising 441 adults and 389 children in Cork were prevented from entering homelessness in quarter 2 (Q2) of 2024.

The figures mark a 40% increase from Q1 of this year, where the charity prevented 228 households from entering homelessness including 337 adults and 252 children.

In Q2, Threshold worked with 1,861 households including 2,437 adults and 1,616 children, compared to Q1 when they worked with 1,726 households comprising 2,286 adults and 1,587 children.

Between April to June, Threshold identified 392 new households at risk in Cork, and statistics provided exclusively to The Echo show that the top issue facing new clients was tenancy termination, which accounted for 45% of all issues.

Of the new clients, 11% were couples, 20% were two parent families, 24% were one parent families and 44% were single people.

28% of these clients relied on social welfare as their main income source, 3% of people’s main income source was a student loan or grant or a pension, but wages or salary were listed as the main income source for 59% of people.

The majority of new Threshold clients in Cork were aged between 25 and 44 – 6% of those who reached out were aged 18-24, 30% were aged 25-34, 33% were aged 35-44, 21% were aged 45-65 and 3% were 66 and over.

Nationally, Threshold prevented 1,118 households from entering homelessness – 1,515 adults and 1,160 children in Q2 2024, 28% of this figure was in Cork.

'CONCENTRATION IN DUBLIN AND CORK'

Approximately one fifth of households worked with in Q2 were from Cork city and County, a spokesperson for Threshold explained, adding that just over a third are from Dublin, saying “the remainder of clients are split across the other counties, so there is a concentration of numbers in Cork and Dublin.” 

Threshold is advocating for the development of a unitary housing system in Ireland, including an integrated rental market where social and cost-rental housing is accessible to a larger number of households across a broader range of income levels.

This increase in social and affordable housing would in turn create competition with the private rental sector - and has the potential to make the sector more affordable and secure as a result.

Threshold CEO John-Mark McCafferty said, “We continue to see private renters contacting our advisors with a wide range of issues: from termination of tenancies, to poor living conditions, to rent increases and rent arrears.

“It is clear we need to improve alternative options for renters struggling to pay high rents., A unitary housing system is a more equitable system, which would provide more affordable housing, and one we should strive towards.”