More young sleeping on the street in Galway City
Up to nine people are sleeping rough on the streets of Galway each night with a further 17 a day seeking a range of prevention and emergency services, according to the local Simon Community.
A freeze on the building of Council houses, high rents in the private sector and cuts in certain unemployment benefits for the under-23s, are being blamed for the ongoing housing crisis in the city.
Bill Griffin, CEO of Galway Simon Community, told the Sentinel that the problem of people sleeping rough in the city wasn’t just confined to men – it included women and an increasing number of young people.
“What we are also seeing is an increasing number of families being unable to source private rented accommodation. Many landlords just won’t accept rent supplement so where are those families to go,” said Bill Griffin.
He added that while the long term solution lay in the provision of more social and Council housing units, interim measures had to be put in place to tackle an urgent, growing problem in the city.
“It is unacceptable that people would have to sleep out on the streets or remain in emergency accommodation for far too long – this crisis has been building for some time.
“It is affecting every aspect of society – families, single people, young people, older people, people with severe health problems, people battling drug and alcohol issues – people that this State has failed from a young age,” said Bill Griffin.
Last week, Simon launched their national advocacy campaign called ‘Stand and Deliver’ in advance of National Simon Week that takes place from September 29 to October 5.
The campaign is asked the public for their support to get the Government to deliver on their commitment to end homelessness by 2016.
“I suppose we’ve been lucky in recent weeks with the fine weather but as we move into late autumn and early winter, and the colder times arrive, sleeping rough is a real health hazard. We just cannot sit around and do nothing,” said Bill Griffin.
He also pointed out, that in Galway over recent months, there was a 57% increase in people seeking prevention services as they faced into the threat of possible homelessness.
Mr Griffin said that people who were homeless were just not in a position to wait, and he added that housing must be provided in areas where the other support services are easily accessible.
“It is also vital that support services are provided for everyone. We must tackle the issues that often cause or accompany homelessness. These include low income, debt burden, poor health and wellbeing, loneliness and isolation, problematic drug and/or alcohol use and unemployment,” said the Simon CEO.