Government shut down of Tenant-in-Situ scheme in Cork city shameful – Cllr Kenneth Collins & Thomas Gould TD
15 April 2025
Sinn Féin Councilor for Cork City North West, Kenneth Collins; and TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould, have today critiscised the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Lowry Government for slashing funding to the Tenant in Situ scheme in Cork city.
Their comments come following a response received by Cllr Collins confirming that the 2025 funding allocation to Cork City Council is insufficient, and the scheme will been closed with immediate effect.
Cllr Collins said:
“This is absolutely shocking. There are families in Cork city right now who will be made homeless because of this. We stand in full solidarity with Cork City Council in fighting against this.
“They have worked tirelessly to implement the Tenant-in-Situ scheme to prevent homelessness over the last 18 months. That work has now been undermined and dismissed by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
“It is very worrying that the Council are even being forced to fight to honour existing commitments. The funding allocation is clearly nowhere near sufficient, and the Minister must have known this.
“Families in Cork city deserve to be treated with compassion. They deserve a government that will do everything it can to prevent homelessness.”
Teachta Gould added:
“We warned that government were seeking to shut down this scheme. This has now been confirmed by Cork City Council.
“This was one of the only initiatives that was working to prevent homelessness.
“187 people in Cork city, including 100 children, were stopped from becoming homeless last year thanks to this scheme. This protection will no longer be in place.
“I am calling on Minister James Browne to urgently reconsider this position. He must recognise that this cruel and heartless decision will push families into homelessness.
“We didn’t think Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael could get much worse on housing. We were wrong.
“We have a Taoiseach from Cork, and now families in his own constituency will be forced to live through the trauma and distress of living in emergency accomodation as a result of this disgraceful decision. It is shameful.”
