350 kids among Galway’s homeless

Some 350 children were among the 1,157 homeless people who were supported by COPE Galway last year.

According to the homeless charity’s annual report for 2020 published this week, the number of families entering homelessness slowed due to the moratorium on evictions imposed by Government during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But rent levels continued to increase during 2020 in Galway, which created its own difficulties.

“A reliance on the private rental sector, combined with a shortage of supply of HAP [Housing Assistance Payment] properties and affordable accommodation suitable for single people, and a chronic shortage of new builds makes access to suitable, affordable accommodation for families and especially for single people a persistent challenge,” the report said.

“The acute shortage of affordable one-bedroom units in Galway continues to represent the greatest challenge to supporting single person households to exit homelessness,” it added.

A financial note in the annual report highlighted how COPE Galway spent more than €4 million on emergency accommodation – including hotels and B&Bs in the private sector – for homeless people in Galway last year. That was in addition to the €7.4m expenditure on homeless services, domestic abuse services and older people services in 2020.

COPE worked with 1,157 people in Galway. This included 606 single people and 138 families with 350 children.

“One of the silver linings to the dark cloud of Covid-19 is that, despite the restrictions, a number of families moved out of homelessness,” the report said.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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