Any threat to funding for homeless services for Galway city must be opposed, and candidates owe it to the electorate to make a pledge to fight any cuts to this sector.
People Before Profit Alliance Galway City Central candidate Kiran Emrich has publicly pledged that, if elected, he will “protect the homeless services budget for the next five years and never vote for any proposed cuts” to that service.
Mr Emrich is now calling on the other 34 city candidates to make the same pledge to the electorate. His call also follows figures which show that more than 74 houses lie empty in the city and 3,619 households remain on the housing waiting list.
Concern over potential rises in homelessness have increased in recent times with the recent increase in house prices and memories of the Celtic Tiger property bubble still painfully fresh; as well as recent media coverage of a mother with her three small children being forced to live in her car.
“With the desperate housing situation in our city and country intensifying,” said Mr Emrich, “we need increased funding for homeless and disability services in the city Homeless services need to know now that they will have continued support at council level.”
