Services for people affected by homelessness and domestic violence are in rising demand, says local charity COPE Galway.
COPE Galway, who provide services to almost 1,000 people affected by homelessness, have launched their annual report which claims that, while there was an increase of 12 per cent in people requiring homelessness services, “the numbers we were able to accommodate were less than in 2012 (down nine per cent ).”
According to COPE Galway, the reason for this is that there is a lack of affordable accommodation, meaning people stayed in emergency accommodation on average 50 per cent longer.
Rising rents, notice to quit, and an inability to secure alternative accommodation are causing increasing numbers of families to become homeless.
The charity pointed out that accommodation advertised on sites such as Daft.ie are above the rent cap levels, and many landlords do not accept rent allowance in any case. This has led to a situation where, in July 2014, there were 45 families and 20 single people seeking accommodation with COPE’s assistance and there was effectively one house available.
COPE Galway also recorded an 11 per cent increase on 2012 in women and children seeking refuge from domestic violence.
