Christmas ray of light for Galway’s homeless

“It’s not the cold, it’s not the wet that affects you the most, it’s the lack of dignity to take care of your own personal needs – it’s when you need to shower or use the toilet that it will erode your spirit the most.”

This is the moving description of what Christmas holds for the homeless in Galway by John (not his real name), who this year found himself on the streets and in need the support of COPE Galway.

The Galway-based charity for the homeless just this Winter added an additional 14 emergency beds to its Seamus Quirke Road premises as part of its cold weather response initiative.

John lost his home as a result of his addiction to alcohol and the pressures of rising rents, but with the help of COPE has now found himself private accommodation and has returned to college while facing his addiction head-on – something he believed would have had a very different outcome without their support.

“I’m in recovery from alcoholism, so when I went to COPE, there was the little things that I didn’t think of . . . like seeing the doctor and going to the hospital.

“It’s the holistic approach that COPE take – it’s not just about the leg-up, it’s the compassion and the human touch,” he said.

John sought the help of COPE and with the added capacity of 14 beds until the end of March, the charity hopes that it can reach out to many more people like him and help them forge a pathway off the streets.

For more on John’s story, and the services provided by COPE Galway, see this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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