More homeless throw themselves on mercy of County Council

By TONY GALVIN HOMELESSNESS is becoming an increasing problem for Galway Co Council and the authority is having to deal with more and more distressing situations as the impact of the recession continues to impact on families. At Mondayâ€â„¢s meeting of Galway Co Council members were told that the number of individuals and families presenting themselves to the council is increasing and the authority is having to deal with some very distressing situations. The issue of whether the council could provide accommodation for families with distressed mortgages was of concern for many members. Their situation was described as â€Å“limboâ€Â by one member, who said it was his understanding that anyone with a mortgage, even one they couldnâ€â„¢t pay, could not apply for local authority accommodation. Director of Services for Housing Eugene Cummins said that in recent days they had to deal with a situation where self-harm and suicide were mentioned. In another case staff had to arrange for an ambulance to take an individual to hospital. Such events highlighted the need to tackle the homelessness issue on a more permanent basis. He described this issue as a â€Å“very serious matterâ€Â but assured the members that the means to deal with it more effectively would be provided from central funding and would not be a drain on the councilâ€â„¢s resources. However, as the housing authority for the county, the council had an obligation to deal with the issues as they arose. Fear of chancers[private] Concern was expressed at the meeting that if word got out that the council was obliged to provide accommodation for those who are homeless then it might attract less genuine people who wanted to take advantage of the situation. Questions were also asked about whether those holding mortgages could approach the local authority for help with accommodation. One member stated that it was his understanding that a person with an outstanding mortgage agreement could not apply for a local authority home, no matter what the situation in which they found themselves. Senior officials were pressed to state whether application forms for local authority housing specifically stated that mortgage holders were precluded from applying. This, it was argued, could leave those who have lost their homes through inability to pay their mortgage, in a limbo situation. They are homeless but the mortgage remains outstanding, so they canâ€â„¢t apply for assistance from the council. A senior official said this matter was not relevant to the discussion on homelessness. Cllr Tom McHugh said: â€Å“This is a matter of some urgency but we really donâ€â„¢t have the means to tackle it properly. If a homeless family approaches the council we put them in a hostel or a hotel for a night or two and then hope they go away because we donâ€â„¢t have the means to accommodate them.â€Â Director for Services Eugene Cummins said that the Government was looking into new ways of dealing with the problem of homelessness. Currently, the provision of hostels and B&B-type temporary accommodation is costing the State €100,000 per annum and is not making inroads into the standing number of homeless people, which remains at approximately 4,000. He explained that this continuous drain on resources was considered wasteful and was doing little to tackle the problem on a permanent basis. The new strategy was to provide homes for those who, for whatever reason, find themselves homeless. All the research points in this direction, so there is going to be a move away from hostels and temporary solutions towards more permanent accommodation. Most of the accommodation for the homeless in Co Galway is located in the city, but Galway Co Council had a responsibility in this regard and had to devote resources, as the need arises, when approached by homeless ­people looking for shelter. [/private]