The new homelessness strategy needs to become more than a policy document to prevent further deaths among people living rough in Cork city, according to the Labour Party.
Cllr Kathleen Lynch said the homelessness problem in the city could be tackled if the resources were put in place to implement the Government strategy announced last year.
"The public's patience is wearing thin with the Government's argument that the money is available and that they are deploying it. This is an excellent strategy, yet we are still waiting on the resources to implement the strategy," she said.
Cork Simon Community recently revealed that 13 people had died while sleeping on the streets of the city since last October. Ms Lynch said that it would take more deaths among the homeless before the Government made funds available.
"There will be a cold snap between October and February this year and a number of people will die," Ms Lynch said. "Then people will start worrying about homeless people. It is so frustrating as Ireland's homeless problem isn't as bad as other places and could be solved."
The new homelessness strategy is part of an integrated policy announced by the Government last year.
The project manager of Cork Simon Community, Mr Aaron O'Connell, said homeless people who had died in Cork were systematically neglected over a period of months if not years.
"These are people who lived for a substantial period of time on the streets without any access to medical facilities or shelter. Their dietary intake wasn't sufficient and they had no quality of life," he said.
"We are badly in need of a consistent approach to homelessness. These people need acceptance as well as a shelter for the night."
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Threshold claims that the housing situation has spiralled out of control. Ms Margaret O'Neill, services co-ordinator for Threshold, a housing organisation, said there was a chronic shortage of housing in Cork for people at the lower end of the market.