THE number of people presenting as homeless to Cork County Council has risen four-fold since 2019, figures released under Freedom of Information show.

Alarmingly, the statistics also reveal that the rate of refusal for access to homelessness services has risen sharply since the local authority took over homeless services from Cork City Council in 2019.

In 2019, 196 people presented themselves to Cork County Council as homeless. By 2024, that number had soared to 810 – a four-fold increase in five years.

Deputy Cairns revealed: ‘Equally alarming is the rise in the rate of refusal for access to homelessness services - 47% in 2019 compared with 70% in 2024.

‘The figures released to my office through a Freedom of Information request highlight the true scale of hidden homelessness in our own county.

‘Since Cork County Council took over homeless services from the City Council in 2019, presentations for homelessness have skyrocketed while refusals have risen dramatically.’

The Cork South West TD described the figures as a ‘damning indictiment of failed policy by successive governments’ adding: ‘These numbers are only the tip of the iceberg.They don’t account for people couch surfing, sleeping rough, or those refused access to homeless services by the council.’

Deputy Cairns lamented the scale of the housing crisis with 16,614 people now living in homeless emergency accommodation nationwide, according to the latest figures.

She continued: ‘In the past month alone, I have been contacted by several people denied access to homelessness services in Cork because the council deemed them ‘adequately housed’.

‘One individual was living in a caravan without water or electricity. Another was told to return to a family home where there was history of abuse. None wanted to be in emergency accommodation, but all had reached the point where they felt they had no other option.

‘Across West Cork, I am proud to say that most people tend to act with compassion when they see someone sleeping rough, and are quick to mobilise. Their willingness to help reflects the best of our communities.

‘But compassion alone cannot counter a system that is failing people long before they reach the streets. We urgently need to examine why so many are being refused the help they need.

‘What is the criteria for refusal? Why has the refusal rate risen so sharply? And how can funding be cut in the face of such clear need?

‘The figures released to me by Cork County Council shine a light on hidden homelessness. If we are not measuring the crisis properly, we cannot address it. We need all of the relevant data, adequate services and a transparent system to tackle this growing crisis.’

Deputy Cairns also criticised a decision by county councillors to approve a budget which ‘reduced funding for homeless services’ which she described as ‘baffling’.

Cork County Council was contacted for comment but did not reply.