Cork Simon speaking the truth on homelessness
A new report from homeless charity Cork Simon has this week revealed the severe affordability pressures facing renters in Cork and nationally, particularly those relying on the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).
It’s part of the charity’s sixth Home Truths paper, The Home Stretch: The risk of poverty after rent which was published yesterday, Wednesday.
The Home Truths report draws on data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the Office of the Ombudsman, and The Housing Agency to expose a troubling reality: employment no longer guarantees housing security, and HAP – designed as a safety net, is failing to protect vulnerable households from poverty.
The report showed how two in five renters at risk of poverty after paying rent. Analysis of CSO's Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2024 reveals that 41% of households in rental accommodation are at risk of poverty once rent is paid. For those receiving HAP, this figure rises to 57%.
The report also told how HAP top-ups pushing households deeper into poverty. More than 7,500 households across Cork rent through HAP – approximately one in five privately rented homes in the county. However, the gap between HAP limits and actual market rents forces many to make unsustainable "top-up" payments directly to landlords, eroding what little income remains.
Cork Simon’s Sophie Johnston, who compiled the report, explained: “Rather than protecting households from poverty, the inadequacy of HAP to meet market rents is pushing many households further into poverty. The shortfall between HAP limits and market reality leaves households making impossible financial choices.”
Cork Simon’s latest report documents a dramatic shift; housing crisis indicators are increasingly affecting working households. The proportion of Cork city social housing waiting list applicants who are employed has risen from 28% in 2016 to 42% in 2024.
Among new HAP tenants in Cork City, 76% were employed in 2022, up from 54% in 2015 . Nationally, the proportion of people experiencing homelessness who are in employment increased from 9% in 2011 to 25% in 2022.
The human cost
Leanne, a Cork Simon service user, described her experience for the Home Truths report. “I was paying nearly €100 extra on top-up direct to the landlord every week. That wasn't including my actual rent. I was left with about €25 to live on. I've gone days without eating. I'm on medication, and there was one month I was trying to eat, one month afford my medication. It was crazy.”
Barry, who also contributed to the Home Truths report, said: “I was living not even pay-cheque to pay-cheque, I was living, like day-to-day. It definitely started to leech over into my work life and then caused me to not be 100% in it all the time at work. In this day and age, to be working full-time, to be doing your best, and to still not be able to live, like, that’s ridiculous.”
Sophie Johnston concluded: "Over three-quarters of new HAP tenants in Cork city are working, yet more than half will be at risk of poverty after their rent is paid. Renters, especially those relying on HAP, are stretched to the limit. Our service users speak of impossible choices between rent, food, heat, and medicine. It's a constant balancing act that’s wearing people down.
"While a significant increase in social housing is needed to provide sustainable affordability, HAP limits must be revised immediately to reflect market realities. The scheme must genuinely protect people from poverty – not push them further into it."