Galway Bay fm newsroom - CEO Brendan McGrath says Galway city council has failed miserably in managing accommodation for Travellers and their needs at its current sites.
He made the comment following a detailed presentation to councillors from CENA (pron KEENA) an approved housing body for Travellers which surveyed 30 Traveller families in Galway.
The city council is very close to missing out on a one million euro government grant if it does not decide very quickly on a pilot project for CENA in the city.
CEO Brendan McGrath says the council has been slow in moving this forward and he pointed out that 19 of the 35 families in emergency accommodation are Travellers.
At this week's meeting, councillors passed the Mid-Term Review of Traveller Accommodation which means they can make decisions on the pilot project.
Jack Keyes of CENA explains how their accommodation model works and summarises the findings of the Galway survey.
Councillors had mixed feelings on this new group housing for Travellers, which includes having trailer bays and the option to buy the property.
Many felt it has great merit, although others felt integration into social housing is the best approach.
They've agreed to look at the various areas which would be suitable for such a pilot project in the city and also voted in favour of re-introducing an inter agency for Travellers.
