Home Truths: Vacant Homes in Cork

October 2023

"It doesn't make sense to have all the people out on the street when there's houses sitting there with no function." - 'Ronan'

Sophie Johnston summarises the key points from our
second Home Truths paper: Vacant Homes in Cork.

Read Sophie's Home Truths Blog

"There's lots in certain areas. It's very upsetting. How many lives could be saved? Upsetting when you know there's people needing them." - 'Yvonne'

DOWNLOAD HOME TRUTHS 2: VACANT HOMES IN CORK

Read Sophie's Home Truths Blog

Cork Simon’s ‘Home Truths’ series aims to offer insights into different aspects and experiences of homelessness in the Southwest, drawing on publicly available data and supported by personal experiences of Cork Simon service users.

See our other 'Home Truths' HERE.

Latest

Single Adults Living with their Parents: When there are no alternatives - service user experiences

The housing crisis has a long and broad reach, impacting every sector of society. Our third Home Truths paper demonstrates how it's keeping young adults stuck in their childhood bedrooms, unable to live independently of their parents. But it doesn't end there. Should the family relationship break down their housing options are severely limited, pushing them into homelessness. Some of them shared their experiences with Sophie Johnston.
Single Adults Living with their Parents: When the private rental sector is your most likely option

There's been a marked shift in the rates of owner-occupied, private-rented and social-rented households. It's most stark among the over 30s, with the majority now in private-rented accommodation. Sophie Johnston, the author of our third Home Truths paper: Single Adults Living with their Parents, explores why this is a concerning development given that 2 in every 5 single adults new to emergency accommodation in the Southwest come from the private rented sector.
Single Adults Living with their Parents: When you cannot afford to move out

The largest proportional increase in single adults living with parents has not been among the youngest adult age groups, as might be expected with increasing time spent in education; it has been among 25-29 year olds, the significant majority of whom are in employment. On foot of our third Home Truths paper: Single Adults Living with their Parents, Sophie Johnston explores how a dysfunctional housing market is preventing young adults from living independently of their parents.
Opening Doors Spring 2024

At the Soup Run, there’s a feeling of sadness when you see someone new, because that means another person is struggling to make ends meet. With your kind help, the Soup Run provides vital help that goes far beyond a hot meal, for people who are homeless in Cork.

Single Adults Living with their Parents: When there are no alternatives - service user experiences

The housing crisis has a long and broad reach, impacting every sector of society. Our third Home Truths paper demonstrates how it's keeping young adults stuck in their childhood bedrooms, unable to live independently of their parents. But it doesn't end there. Should the family relationship break down their housing options are severely limited, pushing them into homelessness. Some of them shared their experiences with Sophie Johnston.
Single Adults Living with their Parents: When the private rental sector is your most likely option

There's been a marked shift in the rates of owner-occupied, private-rented and social-rented households. It's most stark among the over 30s, with the majority now in private-rented accommodation. Sophie Johnston, the author of our third Home Truths paper: Single Adults Living with their Parents, explores why this is a concerning development given that 2 in every 5 single adults new to emergency accommodation in the Southwest come from the private rented sector.
Single Adults Living with their Parents: When you cannot afford to move out

The largest proportional increase in single adults living with parents has not been among the youngest adult age groups, as might be expected with increasing time spent in education; it has been among 25-29 year olds, the significant majority of whom are in employment. On foot of our third Home Truths paper: Single Adults Living with their Parents, Sophie Johnston explores how a dysfunctional housing market is preventing young adults from living independently of their parents.
Single Adults Living with their Parents: When home is where the heartache is

As we publish our third Home Truths paper: Single Adults Living with their Parents, Sophie Johnston summarises the main points and offers a glimpse into how they might impact young single adults who have to live at home with their parents rather than starting their own independent lives - something which the majority want to do. Young adults who have already experienced significant adversity in their lives are at increased risk of homelessness - 'doubled-up' housing can mean 'double jeopardy'.
Home Truths: Single Adults Living with their Parents

MARCH 2024. Exploring the increasing proportion of younger adults having to live with their parents and the over-representation of younger adults in emergency accommodation.
Home Truth: Short-term lets outweigh availability of long-term lets in Cork

In our second Home Truths paper - Vacant Homes in Cork, we noted a large discrepancy between the number of vacant and available rental homes in Cork and that short-term lets may account for some of it. An analysis published recently in the Irish Times sheds some more light on the discrepancy. It reveals a large difference across the country in the number of properties available to rent on a popular booking website for short-term lets and on daft.ie. Sophie Johnson reviews the data.
Home Truth: Vacant Homes Tax condition of occupancy is too low

After the first 12 months of the government's Vacant Homes Tax (VHT), preliminary figures would suggest that some of the conditions for liability might be inadequate. Our recent Home Truths Paper, Vacant Homes in Cork, highlights a significant number of vacant homes on Census night 2022, especially long-term vacant homes. However, a government measure to encourage bringing vacant homes back into use - VHT, appears to have had a very limited impact, as Sophie Johnston explains.
Home Truth: A glimmer of hope for single adult homelessness

Following the 2023 publication of our first two papers in our Home Truths series, Sophie Johnston explores some recent developments that will increase housing supply here in Cork, offering a glimmer of hope for single households and the potential to prevent homelessness once they come on stream. But she reiterates that more can be done to quickly increase much-needed housing supply for single households at risk of homelessness and those already stuck in emergency shelters.
Home Truth: The emergence of two housing markets.

Rent increases across the country are outstripping those in Dublin, creating two distinct housing markets. An increase in rental supply in Dublin appears to be stabilising the private rented market there. But elsewhere - including here in the Southwest, supply remains at an all-time low and rents continue to increase. Sophie Johnston looks at the latest developments in the context of our two recent Home Truths papers - Single Homelessness in the Southwest and Vacant Homes in Cork.
Home Truth: Rents in Cork unsustainably high for average earner.

Rents in Cork continue to increase - up over 10% in the city in the twelve months to Qtr 3 2023. Following our recent Home Truths papers - Single Homelessness in the Southwest and Vacant Homes in Cork, Sophie Johnston explores how single households in private rented accommodation are at increasing risk of homelessness, while single households stuck in emergency accommodation are faced with the near impossibility of private rented housing offering them a route out of homelessness.

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Cork Simon Community is committed to equality of opportunity. We are currently recruiting for Housing First Project Workers, Project Support Workers and Outreach Project Worker.
Factsheets

View the latest monthly emergency accommodation figures for Cork and the Southwest from the Department of Housing, and download the Cork Homeless Forum Directory of Services for people experiencing homelessness and their Guide to Emergency Homeless Services in Cork.
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Our High-Support Houses throughout Cork provide intensive levels of round-the-clock care every day for men and women whose health and other personal support needs are such that living independently is not currently sustainable.
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Our Emergency Shelter on Anderson’s Quay, in the heart of Cork’s city centre, provides round-the-clock temporary accommodation and one-to one support. Our emergency shelter supports men and women over 18 years of age.

Homeless watch

752 men, women and children were depending on emergency accommodation in Cork and Kerry in February 2024.

Our Emergency Shelter is overflowing. People are staying longer because they have no other options.

Rents in Cork continue to rise while supply remains at an all-time low; Rent Supplement & Housing Assistance Payments fall well-short of current market rents.

See the figures behind the crisis in our regularly updated Homeless Watch Read more

Sponsor a Room

As a Room Sponsor you will be helping to save lives. You give a monthly gift, at an amount you can afford, to provide someone who is homeless with a safe room of their own, everything that goes with that, and a pathway to move into independent living. Believing in people. Read more

50 Faces of Cork Simon

50 Years in the making, decades in the refining. 50 Faces reflecting the thousands of men and women who make us what we are: people believing in people. These are their words, their stories, our experience. Read more

Annual Impact Report 2022

During 2022, we offered care and support, dignity and hope to 1,370 people - a 33% increase compared to 2021. As the last of the Covid restrictions lifted, we quickly restored all our services and responded to additional demand by increasing capacity. Read more

Home Truths: Single Adults Living with their Parents

MARCH 2024. Exploring the increasing proportion of younger adults having to live with their parents and the over-representation of younger adults in emergency accommodation. Read more

Donate

Please donate to help someone who is homeless in Cork make a fresh start.
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