Alarm over numbers in Galway seeking help

Rising rents and a shortage of social housing in Galway pushed more and more people to the brink of homelessness in 2014.

COPE Galway, the homeless charity, worked with around 700 households in Galway experiencing homelessness in the past year.

The charity has expressed alarm at the numbers of families seeking help this past year, and the long length of stay they were forced to remain in emergency accommodation.

In its end of year statement, COPE Galway said 18,300 bed nights were provided to 301 adult households in 2014; and that included some 2,500 bed nights to 44 children accommodated as part of families.

COPE Galway provided refuge to 70 women with 70 children who were fleeing from domestic violence at home, and a further 280 women and 200 children availed of their support and outreach service, with more than 450 appointments provided throughout Galway. The organisation also helped more than 220 older people, and provided 47,000 meals throughout the year.

“The single greatest issue clients of our homeless services have experienced over the past year is difficulty accessing housing,” said John Concannon, Chairman of COPE Galway.

“Due to a shortage of social housing our clients are mainly reliant on the private rental market. A shortage of housing in this sector, combined with ever increasing rents, has contributed to a situation where more and more families are becoming homeless, and where individuals and families who do become homeless remain so for longer as they cannot find affordable accommodation.”

He said government measures announced in December, including increased spending on social housing, should help ease the problem locally next year.

For more on this story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune