Homeless charity Galway Simon Community has highlighted the challenges, families in Emergency Accommodation are facing as the usual back to school rush begins this week.
The latest figures released by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government show that the number of families living in Emergency Accommodation in the West has increased by over 17 per cent in the last year as a result of the ongoing housing crisis. There were 101 families with 212 children living in Emergency Accommodation across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon at the end of July, just three below the peak number.
While many families struggle with back to school costs, the 101 families and 212 children who are living in Emergency Accommodation have the added challenge of not having a home of their own, and the stress and uncertainty of preparing for the return to school from a hotel or B&B room.
Karen Feeney, Head of Services with Galway Simon Community, said they are seeing families at risk of homelessness presenting for support to our services in distress, as they are facing eviction and have been unable to secure accommodation they can afford.
“Some are facing into being homeless, often for the first time in their lives and it is extremely difficult for them to accept this reality as they would never have imagined themselves being homeless or needing our services. Many of the people who come to us are extremely stressed and find it difficult to face up to their situation and determine what to do.
“We work with and support families to explore the possible options open to them as they can find it too difficult to do this without that support. We help families with paperwork and working their way through the process. For some we have helped them to secure new private rented accommodation, while for others we have supported them to work with their landlords to enable them to remain in their current home.
“Every case is different and we work with individuals and families to determine what is the best possible solution for them. With the ongoing housing crisis and the increasing cost of living it is getting more difficult to come up with solutions for people. Our teams are working harder than ever to help prevent people from entering Emergency Accommodation,” she said.
Galway Simon provides a Prevention Service as well as residential housing supporting individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Prevention Service supports people who may be at risk of homelessness to remain in their own home or to find a new home and to continue to live as part of their local community.
Galway Simon Community is calling on Government to take the steps required to meet their target of ending homelessness by 2030. One measure is the setting of new targets for public housing provision and providing the necessary funding in the upcoming budget to meet them. A second is bringing forward an amendment to insert the right to housing into the Irish constitution.
The Housing Commission is reported to have completed its work in this area, enabling the Government to bring forward the amendment this year. The government should also increase funding for Prevention Services. Over the past two years over 90 per cent of those who engaged with Galway Simon’s Prevention Services avoided entering Emergency Accommodation.
