The Chief Executive of a community-based organisation in Waterford has said it is no surprise that the gap between Ireland's most disadvantaged areas and the national average has increased.
The data, published by Pobal, shows the number of people living in areas classed as very disadvantaged or extremely disadvantaged increased from 143,506 in 2016 to 195,992 last year.
Danny Murphy, who is CEO of Treo Port Lairge CLG, said there are "a lot of barriers to education and employment and training" for those from disadvantaged communities in Waterford.
Located in a business park in the city, Treo - funded through the Probation Service - offers young people a second chance.
Its main aim is to reduce criminal activity among the people in its target group who are aged 16.
Treo offers educational, social, and vocational support to participants and operates a social enterprise called Renew.
Renew provides full-time employment to people from Treo's target group who have experienced barriers to employment.
It produces various products and services, including bicycle repair, small engine repair, woodcraft products and kindling, as well as accredited courses in bicycle and four-stroke engine repair.
Sammy, who is 17, is varnishing a wooden cup holder he has created.
He did woodwork in school but did not really like it because it was part of class.
Now, he hopes that working with wood will be a part of his future.
"My behavior in general, I was causing too much trouble," he said.
His parents worried about him a lot.
"I just thought I was just having fun. There's a time like to have fun, but it's time to get serious with your life, you know what I mean?"
Inside the main kitchen where there is a pool table and couches, Geraldine sits at the table where there are Halloween leftovers and newspapers to encourage conversation and reading.
Now in her 30s, Geraldine has been coming to Treo since she was 18. It took her a bit of time to get her life on track, but she is finally there.
"I did a few custodial sentences. And as time moved on, I kind of got a better sense of life, so to speak. I'm out now two years.
"I had to work on myself a lot more, to know what I wanted and my goals".
Treo offers a place for teenagers and young people to meet up. It also offers a wide variety of training.
A number of younger participants were attending a barista course the morning we arrived.
Geraldine explained that she had completed the course.
"The key to any coffee is an espresso," she said.
Her aim, she added, is to work in addiction services and give back to the community.
She and Sammy are examples of how staff at Treo have helped turn lives around.
Treo has about 80 people it works with - most of whom arrive through the Probation Service.
There are around 15 staff with a small number of volunteers.
Like other organisations, the cost of living is crippling Treo.
The prospect of reducing services on offer to the young people who attend hangs in the balance while new activities remain on the back burner, for now.
Chairperson Ned Hogan established Treo with a group of 'like-minded people’ around 25 years ago.
"We found there was a gap in in the area. There was no one covering 16 to 23-year-olds. So, we got together, and it was a tough battle but eventually we secured funding through probation and welfare.
"The Presentation Sisters at the time were involved as well and we eventually set up and we got going.
"It took a long time I suppose to achieve what we have now, just hard work and a slow process, but we I think we're finally getting results really and we're well recognized now locally as one of the better projects in the area."
Chief Executive Danny Murphy is passionate about the facility and what Treo has to offer.
While he acknowledges that it is a slow process, it does work.
"Getting to know someone is the outreach element of it, because people that are referred here first, don't want to come into the place, and maybe they're still engaging in the behaviors that they were engaged in, and I suppose for us to go out and to meet them, where they’re at, and to offer an alternative to the lifestyle is what it’s about at the moment."
The findings by Pobal are of no surprise to Mr Murphy.
He sees "a lot of barriers to education and employment and training" for those from disadvantaged communities in Waterford.
Treo does everything it can to create opportunities, he said.
"Involvement in the criminal justice system, leaving school early, stuff going on at home; we look at those issues and create a smaller gap and create education and training options.
"Even supporting someone with buying a suit for a job interview, buying them a bus pass to get to the interview or doing pre-interview training".
