A Galway homeless and domestic violence charity has said that its resources have been stretched to their maximum, as a result of a chronic shortage of available housing and emergency accommodation.
COPE Galway's annual report, which is being published this morning, shows the charity provided direct assistance to almost 3,000 people during 2022.
COPE Chief Executive Michael Smyth said additional government supports were needed to ensure services could be maintained.
He said more than a quarter of COPE Galway’s work was supported by philanthropy and charitable donations.
Mr Smyth said a key ask would be a call on the Coalition to step up and fund operations, to the levels needed.
A total of 1,217 people, including over 300 children, were supported by the organisation's homeless service last year.
The report says extensive efforts to secure a premises for its winter cold weather response last year were unsuccessful. As a result, it had to examine different ways of providing assistance to rough sleepers during certain periods.
This entailed other homeless services adapting to ensure help could be given to vulnerable people during high-risk winter months. Some clients were moved to community-based housing, so that beds at two hostels operated by the charity could be allocated on a night-by-night basis.
The report also details the extensive work that COPE Galway staff carry out on behalf of those experiencing, or at risk of, domestic violence. Around 300 women and children were accommodated at its dedicated city centre refuge, while nearly 4,000 crisis support calls were facilitated by the domestic abuse service.
COPE said that demand for these services has grown and it forecasts this will persist, until there is a wider societal change in terms of attitudes towards domestic, sexual and gender based violence.
It has identified enhanced legal supports as a key element in helping enable women to better avail of the protections afforded to them the Domestic Violence Act.
The charity also said that a schools programme for Transition Year pupils on healthy and unhealthy relationships has proven successful. It is now being delivered on a pilot basis for Junior Cycle students.
COPE Galway also works to assist older people to live independently. It provided support to over 900 older people around Galway city and county last year, delivering more than 70,000 meals, providing community supports and organising volunteer visits.
