The preliminary results of Census 2022 show that Galway City was the area in the State with the highest proportion of vacant rental properties at 38%. People Before Profit Galway representative Adrian Curran says this is unacceptable in the context of a worsening housing crisis and needs urgent action.
Adrian Curran said:
“The official homelessness figure is over 10,000 again, after emergency pandemic measures were dropped. Included in this figure are over 250 people living in emergency accommodation in Galway. People sleeping rough, living in overcrowded accommodation, in domestic violence refuges or direct provision are not included.
“It’s obvious the housing emergency is escalating. People are simply finding it impossible to find somewhere to rent in Galway. A recent Threshold survey showed that 92% of people found it difficult or extremely difficult to find a new rental home. The situation is bound to worsen again when students return in September.
“In this context, the level of vacancy and dereliction in Galway is a disgrace. There should be a ‘use it or lose it’ policy for vacant homes. After a certain period, unless the owner has a very good reason, the home should be taken off them and brought into use as public housing. There are around 4,200 people spending years on the social housing waiting list in Galway City while homes lie empty. In many cases, vacant homes are owned by investment funds and are deliberately left empty to create artificial scarcity and drive up rents elsewhere.
“The Government told us measures like a rent freeze and evictions ban couldn’t be done, but then they were implemented when the pandemic hit. It shows radical actions can be taken when the will exists.”
