Homeless data shows 675 adults in emergency accommodation in Cork

There were 675 adults in emergency accommodation in Cork in September, a 23% increase from a year previous, new data has shown.

The latest figures released by the Government on Friday show a slight decrease from 679 the previous month, the first month that homelessness figures have gone down in Cork in over a year.

In the south west, made up of Cork and Kerry, 102 families accessed emergency accommodation in September, with 215 children. There were 98 adults aged 19-24, 428 aged 25-44, 196 aged 45-64, and 21 aged 65 or older in emergency accommodation in the South West.

The majority of people, 559, were in private emergency accommodation, usually hotel and B&Bs, while 185 were in supported temporary accommodation, which includes shelters and hubs.

It comes as Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on Friday that the Government is very concerned about homelessness.

“In the budget, [housing minister] James Browne has secured additional funding to focus on and prioritise families who are in emergency accommodation, and that will get results this year for families,” said Mr Martin.

“In addition, now, it’s much more complex in terms of what is happening in the homelessness area, there is increasing evidence that as people move out of direct provision, some are falling into homelessness, which is something that we’ve got to review.

“Housing First is key, and also ring-fenced funding to get families out of emergency accommodation as quickly as we possibly can, and indeed then through the acquisition programme and tenant-in-situ to prevent families from going into homelessness.”

The September homelessness report shows that just five Housing First tenancies were created in the South West in the three months from July to September.

The Q3 Homelessness Progress Report, also published by the Government on Friday, shows that there were five families in the South West who had been in homelessness accommodation for over two years, as well as six for 18-24 months and 16 for 12-18 months.

There were 66 single adults who had been in emergency accommodation for over two years, 37 for 18-24 months and 94 for 12-18 months.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould, raised concerns about children in emergency accommodation.

“Children across this State have spent weeks picking costumes and planning for trick-or-treating,”he said. “For 215 children across Cork and Kerry, this time has been filled with stress and dread. How do you celebrate another holiday in emergency accommodation? How do you trick-or-treat from a hotel room? The personal impact of this is long-lasting, traumatic, and will never leave these children.”