Teacher and her two girls forced to sleep in car

A homeless Galway mother and her two children have been sleeping rough in the family car since Saturday because they have nowhere else to go.

The city woman, an unemployed teacher, has appealed to Galway City Council to house her, and her two girls aged 12 and 14, but as yet no suitable accommodation has been found.

The case is another example of the housing shortage and homeless crisis gripping the city – the local authority says it deals with between 15 and 20 similar new cases every week.

The family were evicted from their privately-rented home in Salthill in May because they couldn’t pay rent. They had been living in that home for two and a half years prior to being evicted, she said.

They presented as homeless to the local authority and were housed in emergency accommodation. The mother, who asked to remain anonymous to protect the identity of her children who are attending school locally, said they have moved 14 times since May.

The family has been offered accommodation at a homeless shelter but the mother says it is not appropriate and she prefers to sleep in her car until ‘suitable’ accommodation is sourced.

A spokesperson for Galway City Council said that the housing department at City Hall is dealing with a minimum of 15 representations every week, and sometimes as many as 20 a week, from newly-homeless people who are desperate and seeking emergency accommodation.

For more on the mother’s plight, see this week’s Galway City Tribune