Pandemic stress leads to increase in homelessness

The economic and mental health fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic is driving people into homelessness, according to Galway Simon Community.

The homeless charity said that in the first six months of this year, demand for its services had risen by 22% – and its staff are ‘nervous’ of a worsening homeless crisis this winter as more evictions loom.

“We have 22% of an increase for the first six months of this year in terms of the number of people coming to us for help, in crisis. The economic fallout and the mental health fallout of Covid is really contributing to that – it’s just a very, very, very challenging time,” said Karen Golden, CEO Galway Simon Community.

“We’ve been talking about it for the first half of the year, in that we were really nervous as to what was going to happen when the moratorium on evictions ended, and now it has ended, and we are seeing a huge increase, and we continue to be nervous about the winter ahead because there is a really significant shortage of accommodation, particularly secure affordable accommodation.

“We are finding it increasingly challenging to be able to support people out of homelessness because there is just so little accommodation available,” she said.

Prior to Covid-19, homeless numbers in emergency accommodation had been gradually falling in Galway and progress was being made, she said.

And the collective response of Galway Simon and other agencies during Covid was “phenomenal” in terms of protecting homeless services and people in homelessness.

“But what we are seeing now is the ending of the wider Government supports, including the ending of the moratorium on evictions, and we’re seeing a lot of additional people finding themselves in crisis coming to us for help,” said Ms Golden.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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