Close to 30% of families in emergency accommodation in Cork city last year refused housing offers

Cork City Council has said 27% of families in emergency accommodation last year refused housing offers, but some councillors have claimed this is because properties offered were unsuitable.

The council also said that in future what it called “unreasonable” refusals of accommodation might affect the provision of emergency accommodation to homeless families.

According to the latest homelessness figures published by the Department of Housing, there were 96 families, with 199 children, in emergency accommodation in the Cork and Kerry region in the final week of January.

A council spokesperson told The Echo: “In 2024, 27% of families in emergency accommodation who were offered an exit to long term housing refused the offer.”

They added that the council “will be reviewing all offers made to individuals in emergency accommodation… and any unreasonable refusals going forward may impact the provision of emergency accommodation provided by Cork City Council”.

The spokesperson said the three most common reasons given for refusing an offer of housing were: “Location; no garden or garden not big enough; an apartment not a house.”

When asked who would determine whether a refusal was unreasonable, the spokesperson said senior staff in the housing team review each refusal “on a case-by-case basis”.

“The applicant is advised of [the] outcome and there is an appeals process in place,” they said. “Cork City Council is aware of each person or family’s varying circumstances and our staff take this into consideration in a compassionate and reasonable manner when offering housing so that they can exit emergency accommodation.”

Brian McCarthy, Solidarity-People Before Profit councillor for the North West ward, said it was “absolutely understandable” that people would refuse an offer of unsuitable accommodation.

“The location could be very far away from where their kids are at school, where they are at work, where their family support network is. The lack of a garden can affect children, pets, mental health, and quality of life,” he said.

Fianna Fáil councillor for the South Central ward Seán Martin said the nature of the city had changed, and people might not always get accommodation in their preferred area. “The city is much broader now, it’s more diversified, and I think people have to realise that when looking for housing.”

Ted Tynan, Workers’ Party councillor for the North East ward, said he was aware of people in emergency accommodation who had been offered “completely unsuitable” housing.

“Some of it was substandard, some of it was damp and wasn’t suitable for families at all,” he claimed.