COPE warns of growing crisis in homelessness

“This year, 2018, has been the single most challenging year we’ve experienced as an organisation, in terms of dealing with homelessness in Galway.” That is the stark assessment of this year by Assistant CEO of COPE Galway, Martin O’Connor, who warned that without a significant increase in the supply of housing in 2019, the homelessness crisis will worsen.

COPE’s Cold Weather Response has been in operation at the rear of its Teach Corrib Day Centre on the Seamus Quirke Road, Newcastle, since the end of November.

According to Mr O’Connor, an increase in the number of emergency beds at the facility is a sure indicator that things are getting worse when it comes to the numbers sleeping rough.

“We have additional night time accommodation this year with 21 beds – we can accommodate 23 by using some of the facilities in the day centre itself.

“Last year, it was a night time only service, where we opened at 9.30pm, but this year, we are open from 5.30pm,” said Mr O’Connor.

“In previous years, our Cold Weather Response experience would have been that in the early part of winter, while there was a demand, it wasn’t excessive – this year, that demand is there,” he added.

Day services at the Newcastle-based facility provide people with clothes washing and showering facilities and hot food.

Research carried out by the organisation in November revealed that homelessness among families is at an all-time high, with 145 households in emergency accommodation – 84 of which were families with a total of 192 children.

This survey of homelessness in Galway was carried out over a 24-hour period in advance of the commencement of the Cold Weather Response, and over that period, 27 rough sleepers were in touch with COPE Galway services.

“That means that they presented on the night to our Fairgreen Hostel, were in touch with our outreach piece that goes out in the early morning to engage with those sleeping rough, or they presented at the day centre.

“In addition to those 27, there are another 23 who we know to be sleeping rough either periodically or on a continuous basis,” said Mr O’Connor.

He believed that since 2014, those who once would have had a short stay in emergency accommodation were now, four years later, significantly more likely to end up in hotels and B&Bs on a long-term basis.

Additional housing is the one and only solution to the crisis, said Mr O’Connor, adding that Galway’s housing needs are unlikely to be met in 2019.

“The Government’s rebuilding Ireland policy initiative focuses on increasing new social housing units and that is the way forward – but it is taking longer than is ideal or needed.

“In Galway, it’ll be 2020 before there is any significant increase in the number of social houses available, and the number of private houses in the city is very low.

“That is a challenge. The demand is squeezing a cohort of people out of housing,” he said.

People who find themselves at the lower end of the ladder socio-economically are significantly affected when one or more additional challenge is thrown in their way, explained Mr O’Connor, adding that mental health and addiction problems, or families of children with disabilities are just some of challenges that can push people over the edge into homelessness.

Christmas is just another day in homeless services, said Mr O’Connor, but for those in emergency accommodation and those who are homeless, COPE does try to make it as special as it possibly can be.

The Giving Tree, run by a number of local charities, seeks donations for those who might need gifts more than most at Christmas.

“For many, particularly families, this is a godsend. It gives children the opportunity to have a decent gift at Christmas and for adults, they get more practical things like clothing.

“We have food hampers, which are delivered this week, providing people with staples like practical food items – the staples really,” said Mr O’Connor.

For those wishing to support COPE over the festive period, donations of all kinds are gratefully received.

“If people want their donation to go directly to the service users, it’s the small things like mobile phone credit that most of us take for granted,” said Mr O’Connor.

Donations such as these can be dropped to any COPE facility in Galway while financial contributions can also be made online at copegalway.ie/donate