A protest against the rise in the number of people sleeping rough in Galway, and the continuing problem of housing and accommodation, will take place outside City Hall on Monday February 13 at 3.30pm.
The protest is being led by a new organisation, the Galway Housing Action Group, which is calling for the public to turn out in high numbers to send a message to both city councillors and the Government, that the situation is both a local and “national emergency”.
The city council’s housing waiting list stands at close to 5,000 families, while a proposed 69 local authority houses for the Knocknacarra area remain unbuilt, despite having been granted approval to proceed. It is understood this is a result of bureaucracy and lack of finance from the Department of Housing. Furthermore, only 14 of these houses are expected come on stream in the next two years
The overall situation has resulted in no social housing being built in Galway since 2008, despite the city’s housing waiting list standing at officially at 4,720 households - some of whom have been waiting since 2002. However many would acknowledge that that figure has risen since being published in September, and that it does not take into account the 470 households in Rental Accommodation Scheme and long-term leasing, and the 180 households in receipt of Housing Assistance Payment. These names have been taken off the waiting list due to being on the RAS and HAP schemes.
“The Government must now declare a national housing emergency as such a declaration will enable Government to access special EU funding to invest in housing,” said Joe Loughnane, of the Galway Housing Action Group. “It will also allow the Government access to advance emergency measures through legislation to tackle this national calamity.”
Mr Loughnane was also critical of the absence of a culturally-appropriate Traveller accommodation.
Huge Seale, also a member of GHAG warned that the siutaiton is only likely to get worse over the coming months and years. He said c50,000 people are in arrears of two years or more with their mortgage and are at risk of repossession. “Where will they go?” he asked. “Twenty people sleep rough on our streets every night and a huge amount of people, including Travellers, students, couples, families and single people are failing to find suitable affordable accommodation in the private sector in Galway city.”
