More than two-fifths on Cork city's housing list have jobs

More than two-fifths of those on the city’s social housing waiting list are in employment, new figures have shown.

A report from Cork Simon Community reveals that the number of people who are working and in receipt of housing assistance payment (HAP) in Cork city is above the national average. This figure has increased dramatically over the last decade, yet more than half of those are also at risk of poverty, and have to choose between food or heating.

The figures are contained in Simon’s sixth Home Truths paper, The Home Stretch: The Risk of Poverty After Rent, and they show that nationally, 41% of households in rental accommodation are at risk of poverty once the rent is paid, while for those receiving HAP, this figure rises to 57%.

The report shows that 42% of households on Cork city’s social housing waiting list in 2024 were in employment, which is a marked increase on the 28% in the same category in 2016.

Just over three-quarters of new HAP tenants in Cork city in 2022 were in employment, which is higher than the national rate and representing a significant increase on 2015, when just over half of new HAP tenants were in employment.

The report features testimonials from Cork Simon service users, whose names have been changed. ‘Barry’ said that while he was working and renting he was “living... not even pay-check to pay-check … day-to-day.” 

“Seeing could I borrow money off someone, like, until I got paid on Friday; could I go over to my friend’s house, and, like, they’d maybe cook me dinner instead of me having to. To be working full-time, to be doing your best, and to still not be able to live, like, that’s ridiculous.” 

Another service user, Olivia, said: “There was days I didn’t eat because I had to keep topping up my ESB. There’s days I didn’t have any ESB at all because I chose to eat. 

"You’re going to sit in the dark if you’re starving, but then you’ve no ESB to cook.” 

She added there was a time she lived off noodles: 

“Like 20 cent noodles. One pot of noodles a day. Just so I could get everything else under control. Even at that I struggled.” 

Leanne said: “I was renting a HAP property. I was paying nearly €100 extra on top-up, directly to the landlord every week. That wasn’t including my actual rent. I was left with about €25 to live."

Cork Simon’s Sophie Johnston, the report’s author, told The Echo: “HAP is no longer serving its purpose to protect people against poverty, it’s in fact trapping people in poverty.

“Simon Communities’ Locked Out of the Market reports show there are no properties available within HAP limits in Cork city. Because HAP limits fall far short of market rents, 60% of households are having to make top-up payments, pushing them farther into poverty.” 

“We know that over three-quarters of new HAP tenants in Cork city are working, but more than half will be at risk of poverty after their rent is paid, so the HAP limits really need to be revised.” 

She continued: “The report shows a new reality that employment no longer is a guarantee of housing security – our service users speak of effort after effort to move out of homelessness, but hope and resilience only stretch so far. 

"There’s a creeping sense of despair, people thinking ‘how will I get out of this?’ “People feel there is no housing stability, no option for accumulating savings so no security into the future, they’re really just surviving.

“They’re making impossible choices. Rent comes first then they choose between food and heat or medication. Housing poverty has knock on effects on nutrition, health, and this constant vigilance affects mental health.”