Focus Ireland looks to secure more than 100 new properties in the southern region 

Housing charity Focus Ireland aims to secure over 100 new properties for homeless people across Cork and Kerry over the next two years.

At an event held in the Graffiti Theatre in Blackpool yesterday, Cork-based acting director of fundraising Jesse Wiesblatt said the demand for its services is “higher than ever” — driving the need for increased funding.

The charity already provides 150 homes to service users across the city and county — spread between the areas of Mallow, Fermoy, Glanmire, and the city centre — but is now seeking to secure approximately 101 new homes across the southern region.

“The new homes would be for Cork and Kerry. We have a national development team that are always looking to continue to grow and to have more homes available on the market,” she said.

“We have a number of developments here in Cork, in Fermoy and the city centre, that we’re continuing in the pipeline.

“There would be short-term and long-term [tenancies], so short term is for immediate need — depending on what service they [users] require — and then we would have long-term properties as well, with the intention being that [this] is their home.

“In terms of rent, it differs depending on the unique situation or the service that they’re in, but it is reduced in terms of market value.

“They [tenants] wouldn’t own these homes, but we have had tenants who live in them their whole life.”

Ms Wiesblatt said that, while the charity has seen a consistent increase in homelessness figures, it is hopeful of bringing this down.

“We’ve seen nearly two years of monthly figures going up and up, so we have to be realistic about the situation. With the new Government, there are new opportunities, and hopefully we can put the right measures in place to bring those numbers down.

“The obvious solution would be housing. We need to make sure that a high enough percentage of new houses are allocated to social housing, [but] awareness is so important too.

“Funding is the bedrock of Focus Ireland.”

For further information or to donate to Focus Ireland, visit: www.focusireland.ie.