14 June 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie

Housing Crisis

Labour Cork East TD Seán Sherlock has urged Government to outline the plans in place to protect single homeless adults in the Cork and Kerry region.

File photo of Labour Party TD Sean Sherlock

Deputy Sherlock said:

“The housing disaster is a nationwide crisis, but the Cork Simon Home Truths: Single Homelessness in the Southwest report makes for very difficult reading. Some 77.6% of adults experiencing homelessness in the Southwest are single adults, compared with the national rate of 67%.

“What’s even more worrying is the low rates of exit from homelessness. An average of 5.4% of single adults left emergency accommodation each quarter in 2022. It’s disgraceful.

“Housing for All is failing the people of the Southwest fast. The reality is the government isn’t putting serious effort in. There is no sense of urgency on security of tenure while people renting are living in anxiety. People in Cork and Kerry are sick of sound bites we need and want real action on the housing and homelessness crisis.

“Long-term, we need much more social housing built at scale. This housing must reflect the mix required in the market. In particular, single people are really struggling to find accommodation, which is being reflected in these figures.”