Ruadhán Jones
If there is a scale of how critical the housing crisis in Cork can be, it’s at the upper end, the head of Cork Simon told The Irish Catholic.
The charity’s shelter is “packed to the rafters” every night, says Paul Sheehan, adding that what started out as a 47-bed shelter now typically accommodates 74 people.
“Every available space we have is being used and even at that there are still people who have no choice but to sleep rough,” Mr Sheehan says.
Cork Simon has seen a sharp increase in the number of people sleeping rough in the last 12 months, a trend that has been building slowly.
Many people who use their services are vulnerable to homelessness by virtue of difficult upbringings, a lack of schooling, poor mental and physical health and sometimes substance abuse”.
Now, the charity is seeing “people who aren’t able to put a roof over their heads… who are trying to hold down a job while staying in emergency accommodation,” says Mr Sheehan.
Pressure
The pressure points are everywhere, he warns. The number of people presenting to their day shelter has increased, the numbers coming to the soup run are on the rise.
“As that housing supply remains low and the cost of housing remains high, anybody stuck emergency accommodation as well is severely challenged in trying to find a way out,” warns Mr Sheehan.
The issue comes down to housing, he states.
As the housing supply has fallen, costs have increased and the system as a whole is ‘dysfunctional’”
“If you’re an adult stuck in an emergency accommodation, your fastest route out would be the private rental sector. But you’re basically locked out of that market now, it’s too expensive,” Mr Sheehan says.
While there is some social and affordable housing becoming available, “it’s nowhere near what’s needed”.
“It puts huge pressure on individuals and it puts huge pressure on families,” Cork Simon’s CEO says.
Pathways
The charity is still working hard to help people find pathways out of homelessness, following a ‘housing first’ approach for the last 10 years.
“We find that once a person is housed and there’s a secure roof over their head, all of their energy can go into focusing on the issues that pushed them into homelessness in the first place,” says Mr Sheehan.
Without that security, all your energy goes into where is my next bed going to be, when is my next meal going to be, how am I going to get through the day, but take that out of the equation, people start focusing on the issues that push them into homelessness and it can be very successful”.
For Cork Simon, voluntary donations are vital to continuing their homelessness services, none of which are fully funded by the State.
“A lot of those are funded by legacies,” says Mr Sheehan.
We know that everybody is struggling to make ends meet these days. Legacies are a way to show your support”
Without having a significant impact now and we welcome legacies of all size big or small, every cent makes a difference.”
“It’s a gift to the city in many ways – homelessness is a public issue and addressing homelessness in a positive way can only be good for the city.”