Almost 200 Galway householders were presented with notices to quit their accommodation in the first two months of 2024.

And such is the shortage of accommodation in the city, tenants are being advised ‘off the record’ to overstay their eviction date because there is nowhere else to go.

This alarming rate of evictions was slammed as a “direct result of Government failures” this week as the city’s ever deepening housing crisis shows no signs of improvement.

Local Councillor Níall McNelis (Lab) described as “shocking” that up to 200 families were facing homelessness at a time when City Hall was warning that they had no place to go for those presenting with eviction notices.

Figures released to the City West councillor show that 189 notices to quit were alerted to the City Council homelessness place finder process by the end of February, but only 71 of those had found alternative accommodation.

Cllr McNelis said despite doing the best they could, the City Council’s housing staff were struggling to cope with the level of evictions.

“This shocking situation is as a direct result of the Government’s lifting of the no-fault evictions ban.

“There is nowhere for people to go and they are being encouraged to stay in place even beyond their eviction date because of this. The reality is that it will take the landlord another six weeks to get them out and that is buying people some breathing space – but it’s not sustainable,” said the Labour councillor.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the March 15 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.