Affordable housing, income and education supports, as well as the cost of living and the need for more gardaí on the streets, were among the issues raised by early morning customers at the Canteen in Knocknaheeny on Cork's northside, ahead of next Tuesday's budget.
Run by staff employed under a Community Employment Scheme, the Canteen is Knocknaheeny's busy community cafe providing healthy and affordable food to young and old.
There was much talk about what Budget 2024 might mean for people there.
Colette Gahan is the Canteen's Assistant Manager said she would like to see more supports for enterprises like the community café: "There's lots of positions here that we could fill but we can not get any workers.
"There is no one applying for them at the moment so if they looked into that, and I think if they just put the money up just a small bit more, people would be willing to come and do a Community Employment Scheme then," she added.
Retiree Jerry Sheehan regularly visits the Canteen with his sisters. He said he would like to see the Universal Social Charge being reduced or abolished.
"It was brought in as a temporary measure ... and it is a hard hit for a lot of people," he said.
"And I'd like to see, especially in Cork city, more gardaí on the beat, visibly. It is very important. You see it in Dublin but unfortunately, it is not in Cork city and a lot of people say they will not go into the city - especially in the evening time. There's a lot of messing going on there," he said.
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Among those who is also having breakfast is Sandra O'Neill. She is a special needs assistant at a local school. For her, the major issue is supports for vulnerable children.
"There's no speech therapists coming in (to the school). Long ago there was, it was all stopped. Why? We should be looking after our young people, our vulnerable people. It does make me very angry every day," she said.
For customer Joan Dobson the cost of living and housing are areas of concern.
"My kids are all away, two in Australia and one in the UK. We'd love to have a country they could come back to, that they could afford a house, and jobs," she said.
"Well, I think the jobs are probably there. I think it is probably more housing and quality of life, the amount of tax they have to pay. That's what makes places-away a lot more attractive and it is hard to entice them home and I miss them," she added.
