Report shows 13 homeless people in Cork died in 2022
"We need to be taking a cold, hard look at why people are remaining stuck in homelessness for far too long," said Paul Sheehan of Cork Simon.
A new report from the Health Research Board has shown that 13 homeless people in Cork died in 2022, and the homelessness problem has increased by 48% in the county since then.
There were 124 deaths among people known to be homeless at the time of death in Ireland in 2022, including 13 in Cork city and county, representing 11% of the total.
Paul Sheehan of Cork Simon told : “Firstly, we’d like to offer our condolences to their family and friends and people who supported them.
“It’s very difficult seeing that someone very vulnerable has lost their life, and the figures really represent the complexity of homelessness.”
He highlighted some national trends, such as that three in every four people who died was a single adult.
He added that it was also significant that the majority of the deaths were not identified as poisoning, which usually involves alcohol or drugs.
The main causes of non-poisoning deaths were cardiovascular conditions, followed by hanging, drowning, and falls.
One in five of the deceased had a history of blood borne virus, most commonly a diagnosis of hepatitis C.
Mr Sheehan said: “There have been some developments. We have a hep C worker in the city now on an outreach basis who does get a very high degree of engagement.”
But overall, little has changed, he said. "Between 2022 and now, the only big change is a significant increase in homelessness and people being pushed into homelessness.”
There were 552 adults in emergency accommodation in Cork in January 2022, and by January 2026 that had increased by 48% to 820.
He concluded: “Looking at these figures, which show things like that the majority of these people died on their own, we need to be taking a cold, hard look at why people are remaining stuck in homelessness for far too long.”
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