The most up to date homeless figures (March 2019) detailed that there are 47 young people (18-24) homeless and living in emergency accommodation in the west.
This number does not include those who may be rough sleeping, ‘hidden homeless’ or living in precarious accommodation. This is not a homogenous group – it includes young families, students, young people leaving care and so on.
According to a new study conducted by Paula Mayock and Sarah Parker from Trinity College Dublin, young people are entering “cycles of prolonged homelessness”. The Irish Examiner (22/5/19) reports on the study, stating that a “striking” proportion of vulnerable young people are in “concealed homelessness” such as couch surfing, [and] many opt to sleep rough rather than go into emergency accommodation.’
COPE Galway continues to advocate for adequate responses and solutions to youth homelessness both as a member of the Irish Coalition to End Youth Homelessness and in our current campaign in the lead up to the local elections taking place this week (24th May 2019), where we are calling on candidates to sign up to our Candidate Pledge.
