Housing shortage leaves 15 Syrian families in limbo

The process of resettling 15 Syrian refugee families across the county has been delayed as the local authority tries to source appropriate accommodation.

It prompted Junior Minister Sean Canney to admit that the lack of accommodation in the county is a major problem – but he added that compassion had to be shown to the plight of the refugees.

It  was envisaged that 15 Syrian refugee families will be resettled across Galway in early November but this process has been delayed for a few weeks as Galway County Council endeavour to source accommodation.

The county has been chosen to host the families as part of a programme agreed with the United Nations Humanitarian Commission on Refugees (UNHCR).

Four families, comprising 19 individuals, will travel to Tuam from camps in Lebanon and at the moment the Council are trying to source private rented accommodation.

The main problem in Tuam is that many of the Council-owned properties are currently boarded up – most as a direct result of them not being looked after by their previous tenants.

The matter came before last week’s meeting of Galway County Council and some

Councillors have raised concern over the impact the resettlements will have on people who are on the county social housing waiting list.

However, the vast majority agreed that the refugees have been through a series of traumatic experiences and deserve to be looked after by the Council and the people of Galway.

Minister Canney agreed. “We have to be compassionate in a situation like this but there is no doubt that there is a housing crisis and this will put extra pressure on availability”, he said.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.