Charities reveal massive hike in numbers seeking help

Galway’s homelessness crisis is continuing to worsen with one local charity working with more than 400 people in the first six months of this year – more than it helped in all of 2015.

And rising rents was cited as the main reason people in Galway face homelessness.

The figures from Galway Simon Community show the charity worked with 366 people in 2015, while in the first six months of this year, the figure has risen to 407.

Bill Griffin, CEO of Galway Simon said: “Clearly this crisis is showing no signs of slowing down.”

“We are still seeing increases in the number of people experiencing homelessness, despite measures taken to date by the Government.

“The numbers clearly show that the homeless crisis is still on the rise. While we welcome all of the measures that have been taken to date, they aren’t having a big enough impact on the homeless crisis.

“Our focus is on preventing people from entering the cycle of homelessness. Our Community Support team work with people in their own homes who are on the brink of homelessness for one of many reasons, with the most common being that people just cannot afford their rent.

“Last year, our Community Support team dealt with 142 referrals from people in their own home. This early intervention is essential to preventing people from becoming homeless,” he said.

A breakdown of the figures shows that last year, the charity provided 97 people with advice and short-term support, 156 people with specialist ‘tenancy sustainment’ and resettlement services and a further 113 people were housed.

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