COPE Galway Pre-Budget Submissions
Ahead of the announcement of the annual Government budget, COPE Galway prepares and submits a range of recommendations to the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure, in addition to our local Galway TDs and other officials with mandates related to our provision of services.
Our pre-budget submission outlines the key challenges and issues affecting the people and communities we work with and proposes policy and spending recommendations.
We are calling on the government to implement effective measures that will address these issues, and deliver real change for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Some key recommendations for Budget 2026
Housing
- Fund ‘Housing First’ and adapt a ‘Housing First’ approach to family homelessness including fully resourcing the delivery of wrap around supports.
- Commit to enacting the Homeless Families Bill (2017), resourcing local authorities to ensure that the best interests of the child are considered in homelessness decisions.
Youth Homelessness
- Resource the targeting of young people most vulnerable to becoming homeless, such as those leaving State Care; via targeted, interventions by local authority Housing Officers, as outlined in the National Youth Homelessness Strategy 2023-2025.
- Fund psychosocial programmes addressing the traumatic impacts of homelessness.
Women/Children Subjected to Domestic Abuse
- Ensure all women victims/survivors of domestic abuse have access to legal aid representation by fully resourcing its provision and abolishing income limits.
- Resource delivery of mandatory training and educational programmes, by domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence specialists to all in public services.
- Resource access to secure, long-term housing for women and children leaving domestic abuse refuge accommodation.
Older People
- Resource suitable housing for older people. Ensure the increased number of older people renting on a pension are protected.
- Increase resources for befriending services, as connection is vital for wellness.
Poverty Eradication
- Ensure the budget addresses the impact of inflation/increasing energy prices by providing support to those in energy poverty through increases in key ancillary benefits such as the Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package and Living Alone Allowance.
- Increase core social welfare rates, benchmarking them to average, weekly earnings, in light of increase in core minimum essential standard of living costs, (2.1% urban, 1.3% rural) compared to 2024.
Supports to the Community and Voluntary Sector
- Fully fund the Community and Voluntary sector with full cost recovery including the funding of non-pay costs such as: IT, Communications and Cyber Security, Rent and Facilities, Governance and Compliance, Insurance, Light and Heat and Pension costs, for the sector that delivers essential services on behalf of Government.
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