Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 5 March 2024
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government
Update on Homelessness: Discussion
Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
That is a very important point. Two weeks ago, I talked to a social worker who mentioned the trauma children are experiencing through becoming homeless. While it is great there is emergency accommodation where families can be put, he said the trauma affecting children going into it, including anxiety and depression, is just shocking. Cork Simon does great work. I commend all the groups on their work, but there is an amount of homelessness in Cork. A point was made regarding the number of people using Cork Simon Community's Night Light service. If we had 42 beds, that would make a difference to homeless services in Cork. The figure of 15 rough sleepers per night compared with six last year is absolutely shocking. I was taken aback by that figure.