A €2 million gated development designed to temporarily house victims of domestic abuse in Galway is being used as a day centre for homeless people instead.
The news comes as a new report indicates almost 2,000 women across Ireland were refused entry into domestic violence refuges in the final six months of last year due to a shortage of beds.
A survey of domestic violence refuges by Safe Ireland, a charity, found that in the second half of last year, 1,872 women fleeing domestic abuse could not be accommodated due to “insufficient refuge capacity, accommodation shortages, staffing challenges or resource limitations.”
The Westside Family Modular Hub behind Westside shopping centre was a rapid-build project of 15 houses opened in 2020, and was the first of its kind nationwide.
The two and three-bedroomed housing units were designed to get families out of insecure emergency accommodation in hotels and B&Bs quickly. Ran by the Peter McVerry Trust (PVMT ), these bungalows provided families with their own kitchen, laundry, living, bedroom and bathroom facilities.
The facility has been closed for at least three years, and PVMT handed it back back to Galway City Council in February 2024.
PVMT chief executive Niall Mulligan has confirmed that this handover did not form part of a transfer of properties owned by the trust to repay a €15 million “exceptional funding allocation” from the governmnet it received in 2023.
“The modular units at Westside are currently being used as a temporary Day Centre, and provision of emergency accommodation to people who are experiencing homelessness,” said a Galway City Council spokespwerson. “The facility is managed by COPE Galway on behalf of the city council.”
A report issued by the Department of Housing this week shows 17,447 people, including 5,583 children, were living in emergency accommodation last month.
In the the tri-county area of Galway-Mayo-Roscommon, there were 194 children homeless children in May, alongside 428 adults.
Ten years ago, there were just 132 adults homeless across County Galway, compared with 215 at present.
