Local homeless charity Galway Simon Community has welcomed the decrease in the number of people living in Emergency Accommodation in the West, and also expressed concerns about what lies ahead over the coming months.
According to the latest figures released by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, 490 people, including 94 families with 179 children were recorded as living in Emergency Accommodation in the West of Ireland at end of February. This is a decrease of 32 people, including 22 children since the previous month. The number of adults aged 65+ however increased by 4 in the past month.
Speaking about the latest figures, CEO of Galway Simon Community, Karen Golden welcomed the decline, warning however that complacency is not an option.
“We welcome the decline in the number of people in Emergency Accommodation in the West. However, we are concerned about the impact that the lifting of the moratorium on evictions is going to have over the coming months.”
“According to the Residential Tenancies Board there were 776 Notices of Termination received in the last 6 months of 2022 across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. That’s a total of 776 households, men, women and children possibly having to leave their homes at a time when the availability of rental accommodation is shrinking. We are deeply concerned about the incredible stress and trauma this places on people,” she said.
“Our Prevention Team here at Galway Simon helps those at risk of becoming homeless to either sustain the tenancy they already have or to secure another tenancy, before they lose their home and find themselves having to access Emergency Accommodation,” added Ms Golden.
“Over the last two years, more than 90% of households our Prevention Services engaged with avoided having to access Emergency Accommodation. If we can prevent people from having to access Emergency Accommodation in hostels, B&Bs and hotels, the outcomes are so much better – adults and children do not have to experience the stress and trauma of homelessness.”
“We are very conscious that many individuals and families are finding themselves with Notices of Termination and finding it extremely challenging to find alternative accommodation, a situation that they never thought would happen to them. We would appeal to people who are receiving Notices of Termination and are worried about their situation, to contact support services early, rather than waiting for the last minute,” she concluded.
