Cork Simon praying for a ‘miracle’

If record homeless numbers in Cork don’t increase over the coming year it will be a miracle, a spokesperson for a Cork homeless service has said.

Head of Campaigns and Communications at Cork Simon Community Paul Sheehan said he does not expect numbers of people seeking emergency accommodation in Cork to fall any time soon.

“Right now, there's no reason to think that the numbers will come down. At the very best they will stabilise, but we would expect some further growth in those figures,” he told the Cork Independent.

His comments follow the publication of the Department of Housing’s most recent Monthly Homelessness Report which showed that 611 people were seeking emergency accommodation in Cork in January. This number represents an all-time high for Cork.

Mr Sheehan continued: “We would like to think it's a real wake up call for the Government.

“They've got five years now to focus on this as a matter of urgency and we would like to see some of that urgency kicking in right now and there doesn't seem to be any sign of it yet.”

In the same month last year, there were 542 people seeking emergency accommodation in Cork.

Mr Sheehan said the homelessness crisis is so deep in Ireland that if numbers were to even stabilise, it would be a “step in the right direction”.

“If they are starting to fall; happy days, that would be a miracle. It’s very difficult to see that,” said Mr Sheehan.

“The Government has said they will review the Housing for All plan. We would like to know when that review will be completed and when it will be published.

“It is the supply of housing that is now driving homelessness and that needs to be addressed urgently, and not just tinkering around the edges, not dabbling in the private rental sector, not dabbling in more social housing – it needs a fundamental review,” he added.

Cork Simon is now calling on the new Government to roll out a comprehensive plan to address homelessness and to address the severe shortage of housing.

According to Mr Sheehan, Cork’s homelessness crisis has coming into “sharper focus” in recent years as it now impacts every sector of society.

He said: “You see young adults living at home for longer periods of time.

“Anybody in their 20s or 30s, effectively, their lives are on hold because they can’t plan and they don’t know if they’re going to have the housing they need to be able to plan their own lives.

“You’ve got record numbers of people who are stuck in emergency accommodation whose lives are absolutely on hold. I think Cork and Ireland in general has been tuned into the issue of homelessness for a long time. I think we recognise it as a human tragedy,” added Mr Sheehan.

Last month, Cork Simon launched its 2025 Annual Fundraising Ball which takes place at Fota Island Resort on 4 April. It is the organisation’s most vital fundraising event of the year and is put together by volunteers and is sponsored by a number of Cork companies. All funds raised will go towards services provided by Cork Simon to the vulnerable men and women in Cork who look to the organisation for help. For more information, visit corksimon.ie.