Three Labour Party members of Galway City Council have issued a broadside against the Government’s ‘Housing for All’ strategy, with accusations that an unknown number of children are in emergency accommodation in the city.
In a joint statement framed as a scorecard, the three councillors - who each represent separate districts of the city - ranked the coalition Government’s housing policy on a number of metrics, and called on Galway City Council to publish the precise number of children in emergency accommodation.
Councillors Níall McNelis, John McDonagh and Helen Ogbu say that since 2021 when Housing for All was launched, rents have risen 27 per cent, house prices by 24 per cent and child homelessness has surged by a shocking 70 per cent.
The Central Bank this week forecast that population growth in Ireland requires 52,000 homes to be built over 25 years. In response, Taoiseach Simon Harris said the Government will set new housing targets by the end of the year.
“There are possibly hundreds of children trapped in unsuitable emergency accommodation across our city, and we are now facing a ‘perfect storm’ for housing in Galway,” said McNelis. “Students of two universities are now back, we have refugees and asylum seekers trapped in accommodation centres two years after they receive leave to remain, Travellers living in sub-standard homes, and workers forced to pay two thirds of their income on rent if they can find a place. Two thirds! These are real people, not just numbers. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have utterly failed to tackle this crisis, and it’s only getting worse.”
Councillor Ogbu said: “Perhaps most heartbreakingly, child homelessness has risen by an unbelievable 70.4 per cent. By any fair marker, this Government is persistently failing to meet its commitments. We need a radical shift in housing policy, and we need it now.”
Councillor John McDonagh said the housing crisis was not inevitable, but a result of government failure. “We cannot accept the ongoing failure of this Government to provide secure housing for people in Galway. Labour has a clear and detailed plan... We are ready to protect renters, to accelerate the delivery of homes, and most importantly, to ensure that no more children are forced into homelessness.”
