EU hears Galway ‘challenged’ by Roma rough sleepers

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Galway City is “challenged” by the numbers of Roma people sleeping rough, a European Union advisory body has been told.

And an over-reliance on unaffordable private rents and a shortage of new homes is contributing to the city’s homeless crisis, city councillor Declan McDonnell told the meeting in Brussels last week.

A member of the EU Committee of the Regions, Cllr McDonnell was speaking on behalf of the European Alliance group at a plenary session of the committee, when he responded to an address by European Commissioner Nicolas Schmit.

He said that since the lifting of the moratorium on evictions, the number of homeless families in Galway has grown.

“Here in Galway, and no doubt across Europe, we are challenged by the numbers of Roma people sleeping out. This migrant population have no access to any welfare services and often find themselves destitute.

“We must remember that behind these statistics there are real people experiencing trauma and distress.

“That is why we need to continue building both transient and permanent housing but also focus on the human dimension and, as policy-makers, do more to forge trust between homeless people and the assistance groups.

“Collaboration and innovation are key words in the area of homeless service delivery,” said Cllr McDonnell.

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