The President of UCC students Union says it's "shocking" that students are being forced to stay in hostels for months at a time due to the lack of affordable college accommodation in the city.
Asha Woodhouse was speaking after Sheila's Hostel on Wellington Road said around 100 students are staying at the hostel because they can't find a place to live.
The hostel told RedFM News that while it's not unusual for students from outside Ireland to stay in the hostel for a few days while they find a house, many students this year are booking a bunk bed for months.
Students from Tipperary, Kerry and Galway as well as international students from France, Spain and India are currently living in the hostel.
Speaking to RedFM News, UCC students Union President Asha Woodhouse says they are being contacted by an ever increasing number of students who can't find a place to live:
"We've just been contacted a student who told us they were staying in Sheila's Hostel and they can't stay there permanently, they need to find somewhere to live, and what can we do to help them. We get queries off students every single day calling us. It's really a crisis at the moment, really struggling to find places to live or find somewhere that's affordable- there seems to be a lot of places that are available but students can't afford them at all because of the increase that happened pre-Covid."
UCC Student Union President Asha Woodhouse says they are being contacted by more and more students who are living in hostels because they can't find an affordable place to live. More at 2pm on air and online. pic.twitter.com/zKHEU5JNLo
— RedFM News (@RedFMNews) September 10, 2021
