User:rorynoonanDate:18/05/2013Time:08:50:24Edition:20/05/2013ACABCfor200513Page:1Color:
AC - V1
ALL ABOUT CORK 1
(YHQLQJ (FKR Monday, May 20, 2013 Monday, May 20
Single men hit by house list policy Council need to get more one-bed units
SINGLE men in Cork are By ALAN HEALY treated as second-class cit“In my four years as a councillor izens when it comes to securing social housing, the this is the issue that has frustrated Deputy Lord Mayor has me the most. It is a problem that needs to be solved. said. Cllr Emmet O’Halloran said the lack of two-room accommodation in the city council’s housing stock meant men were often kept on the waiting list for years. “As a result of this, many fathers are unable to see their children as often as they would like because they do not have proper accommodation to allow them to stay overnight. They are often in bedsits or single-bedroom flats,� he said. “The city council needs to increase its stock of two-bedroom houses and apartments. “At the moment there is short supply of these units and men are down the pecking order. They are second-class citizens.�
“This is not a male versus female thing. I don’t want men to be moved up the waiting list. What we need is for the housing stock of smaller units to be increased.� Cllr O’Halloran said that previous housing reports highlighted the difficulty single men face in securing adequate homes. “There has been a major failure in Cork and across the country to provide housing for single men — and little is being done to address it,� Cllr O’Halloran added. There are currently 6,882 people on the waiting list for a council house in Cork, with a further 609 awaiting assessment. The council has an overall stock of approximately 8,000 homes.
Fiona O’Donovan who performed a segment from Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw at the final of the Community Talent Competition in the Firkin Crane Theatre. See page two for a photo special.
Picture: Darragh Kane