Cork Simon had demanded a "homelessness initiative" in the city following the publication of a report which shows 750 people used its emergency shelter last year. This was a 13 per cent increase on the previous year, according to Cork Simon Community.
The report, Homelessness in Cork 1997, detailed users of the shelter. It indicated that increasing numbers of younger people were becoming homeless with the main users aged between 26 and 35 years. Traditionally, Cork Simon's main client base were men over 50. It also indicated 123 people in the shelter were under 25. The majority of those attending at the shelter did so because they were sleeping rough or because they were moving from another hostel. An increasing number of people came to the shelter after being discharged from prison and had nowhere to go.
The Simon Community yesterday called on the Department of the Environment and local government to provide "appropriate, affordable housing". The lack of "move-on" accommodation left shelter residents with no choice but to move to substandard flats and bed-sits, causing a "cycle of homelessness", according to Cork Simon's director, Ms Patricia McAllister.