563 applications to Cork County Council for homeless services rejected in 2024

More than 500 people who applied to Cork County Council’s homeless services were rejected in 2024, figures show.

A total of 563 people who sought help from the local authority were rejected in 2024, which was a 70% refusal rate out of the total number of applications that were made that year.

In 2023, 516 people who looked for help from Cork County Council homeless services saw their applications rejected, with this figure at 410 in 2022.

This is in contrast to the 92 people who applied to Cork County Council’s homeless services that were rejected in 2019.

The information was revealed on foot of an FOI by a member of Cork County Council.

Social Democrats councillor Isobel Towse has called for Cork County council to set up a supervised homeless hub in West Cork.

Raising the matter at the recent western divisional committee meeting, Ms Towse said that a homeless hub in West Cork would help to meet the most urgent needs of homeless people being refused emergency accommodation in the county.

Ms Towse said that the issue of homelessness in Cork needs to be tackled urgently.

“Of the 563 people the council refused, I would also like to know how many were never given any housing support and why.

“I’m very concerned and distressed actually by the cases of people coming to me who are being refused emergency accommodation. That 70% figure is absolutely shocking.

“But these are among the most vulnerable adults in society and I cannot accept that we are turning them away.

“The kindest reason I can come up with is that the council don’t have suitable accommodation to offer them.

Ms Towse added: “While homeless figures are rising nationally, somehow West Cork figures are very low, but that’s not surprising really when we are refusing so many.

“The real homeless figures are much, much higher than what is measured.”