Vulnerable tenants at risk as eviction ban is lifted

Homelessness groups in the city are waiting in ‘pervasive nervousness’ for what is to come once the ban on evictions is lifted on April 23.

CEO of Galway Simon, Karen Golden, said while nobody could be certain how bad things might get, there was no doubt that organisations like her own were set for a surge in demand over the coming weeks.

Legislation set down as part of emergency measures to deal with Covid-19 means that while there is a 5km travel restriction in place, landlords are not permitted to evict tenants, but with countywide travel now permitted, that provision has lapsed.

Ms Golden said the team at Galway Simon were hugely concerned by the impact this would have on tenants in precarious housing and warned that the situation could get worse as the true economic impact of lockdown is felt.

“The numbers in emergency accommodation are likely to increase and we are very concerned that this will be compounded by the economic fallout of Covid. We’re very conscious that so many people, particularly those working in hospitality and retail, have been out of work for a considerable period of time.

“Depending on what happens with the financial supports that have been in place later in the summer, the true fallout will compound the situation in housing and homelessness,” she said.

Numbers in emergency accommodation – living out of hotel rooms, B&Bs and hostels – had already been increasing this year, and that was with the moratorium on evictions, continued Ms Golden.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.