Back-to-school pressures for those in emergency accommodation

There were 101 families with 212 children across counties Mayo, Galway and Roscommon living in emergency accommodation at the end of July, just three below the peak number.

The latest figures released by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government show that the number of families living in emergency accommodation in the West has increased by over 17% in the last year as a result of the ongoing housing crisis. The challenges families are facing, particularly at this back-to-school time, has been highlighted by homeless charity Galway Simon Community.

While many families struggle with back to school costs, the 101 families and 212 children who are living in emergency accommodation have the added challenge of not having a home of their own, and the stress and uncertainty of preparing for the return to school from a hotel or B&B room.

“We are seeing families at risk of homelessness presenting for support to our services in distress, as they are facing eviction and have been unable to secure accommodation they can afford,” explains Karen Feeney, Head of Services with Galway Simon Community. “Some are facing into being homeless, often for the first time in their lives and it is extremely difficult for them to accept this reality as they would never have imagined themselves being homeless or needing our services. Many of the people who come to us are extremely stressed and find it difficult to face up to their situation and determine what to do. We work with and support families to explore the possible options open to them as they can find it too difficult to do this without that support.” 

Galway Simon provides a Prevention Service as well as residential housing supporting individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Prevention Service supports people who may be at risk of homelessness to remain in their own home or to find a new home and to continue to live as part of their local community.

Galway Simon Community is calling on Government to take the steps required to meet their target of ending homelessness by 2030. One measure is the setting of new targets for public housing provision and providing the necessary funding in the upcoming budget to meet them. A second is bringing forward an amendment to insert the right to housing into the Irish constitution. The Housing Commission is reported to have completed its work in this area, enabling the Government to bring forward the amendment this year. The government should also increase funding for Prevention Services. Over the past two years over 90% of those who engaged with Galway Simon’s Prevention Services avoided entering emergency accommodation.