A national housing charity has launched a new service for Cork tenants facing housing difficulties.

Threshold has introduced The Tenancy Protection Service, which is aimed at people living in the private rented sector, who are facing problems that may put them at risk of homelessness. This could include issues such as unaffordable rent increases, notice of termination or a threat of illegal eviction.

Niall Horgan, Regional Manager for Threshold in Cork, said: "The shortage of affordable accommodation in the private rented sector and growing demand for such accommodation has been driving rent prices up in recent years. Inevitably, this means the most vulnerable, low-income tenants are being squeezed out of the market.

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"There has been much attention paid to the growth in homelessness in Dublin recently, but this is an issue that affects other parts of the country too. We have noticed an increasing number of vulnerable families and individuals in Cork contacting Threshold because they risk losing their homes.

"Threshold's housing advisory service in Cork responded to over 4,000 housing queries from households in difficulty in 2014. One of the main issues facing people in Cork is a rent increase that makes the rent unaffordable, especially for low-income tenants who rely on rent supplement payments. The launch of this service comes as a direct response to this situation.

"In partnership with Cork City Council and the Department of Social Protection, Threshold will be providing tailored support to people who contact the Tenancy Protection Service to make sure they can remain in their homes."

Senator Aideen Hayden, Chairperson of Threshold, added: "Currently there are almost 500 people in homeless accommodation in Cork City, and presentations to homeless services in the Cork region increased by 28% last year alone. These figures clearly support the need for the rollout of the Tenancy Protection Service to Cork."

www.threshold.ie

(CD/JP)