Recently published data from the Department of Housing illustrates that zero affordable purchase and zero cost rental homes were built in County Galway last year. This failure in delivery comes at a time of rising homelessness across the West and when the Government is tightening the eligibility for housing programmes such as the Tenant-in-Situ Scheme.
Reacting to the data, Deputy Louis O’Hara, Sinn Féin TD for Galway East, stated that in the midst of a housing emergency, the Government have failed to deliver any affordable purchase or cost rental homes in County Galway for the entirety of 2024 and since Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael entered Government together.
“This failure of delivery occurs at a time when homelessness figures continue to grow with the most recent figures published at the weekend showing over 15,400 people now homeless including over 4,600 children. The figures do not include those sleeping rough, people in domestic violence shelters, or those couch surfing or sleeping in cars.
“Rents have also increased by over 8% across county Galway last year. The failure to deliver cost rental homes further sharpens the effects of these increasing rents on all household and income brackets.”
On the Tenant-in-Situ Scheme, Deputy O’Hara noted that the Government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Michael Lowry/Seán Canney Independents have tightened the eligibility and budget for households to avail of the Tenant-in-Situ scheme.
The Tenant in Situ scheme has been one of the only sources of hope for people who are facing a no-fault eviction notice, and the only thing that has kept many households out of homelessness.
“Because of these cuts Galway County Council has already had to deny 3 previously eligible households access to the Tenant-in-Situ scheme meaning that they now face homelessness in the coming weeks and months.
“Analysis of Galway County Council’s allocation also shows that the vast majority of funding for the 2025 Tenant-in-Situ scheme has already been spent on dealing with cases which were carried over from 2024. This means that households that receive notices to quit for the rest of 2025 face the increasing likelihood of becoming homeless,” he said.
“I’m calling on the Government to reverse the restrictions introduced on the tenant-in-situ scheme, to properly fund the scheme and to finally ramp up delivery of social and affordable homes to prevent more families being pushed into homelessness,” concluded Deputy O’Hara.
