Galway Bay FM Newsroom - The monthly homeless report for December published this week and in particular the number of children in Emergency accommodation is a cause of deep concern according to Labour Galway City Councillor Niall McNelis.
The report, published this week, shows that there were 1,077 families in emergency accommodation in December including 2,451 children.
Councillor McNeilis said that while it represented a slight decrease, it was clear that more needs to be done to prevent people reaching homelessness in the first place.
He added that the reality is that many people becoming homeless are coming from the private rental sector and are being pushed out due to the extortionate cost of renting in Ireland at the moment.
Councillor McNeilis called for a child first strategy to ensure that no family with children is at risk of eviction from their home.
He said that sustained periods of homelessness put enormous mental and physical pressure on parents and their families as life becomes a daily grind of uncertainty and instability which can quickly undermine the health and wellbeing of children who are already vulnerable.
He concluded by calling on the Minister to ensure that no child wakes up on Christmas morning in emergency accommodation again.
