Galway city council has approved leasing Corrib Haven to COPE Galway to operate as shelter for homeless families.
The city council bought the Corrib Haven B&B on the Upper Newcastle road last August for just over €1 million to put a roof over the head of a dozen homeless families.
The former guesthouse is now being leased to COPE Galway for two years from May 1 2019, with the option to extend that lease for another three years for a nominal fee of €5 a year.
The hub would serve as a temporary refuge for families without a home while they make the transition to other housing supports and find a permanent place to live.
Since last year work has been taking place on the B&B to make it fit for use as accommodation for families and it is expected to be operational in a matter of weeks.
It will serve as a better alternative to hotel and b&b’s for families without a home, with kitchen and laundry facilities, as well as play areas for the children.
There are currently 52 families in Galway living in emergency accommodation, and this hub will help to get them out of hotels and guesthouses which are not a fit place for children to live for any length of time.
It is also more cost effective as Galway city council is currently spending almost €300,000 a month on privately owned emergency accommodation.
Some concerns were expressed by local residents last year that accommodation options for the homeless population in Galway are being overly concentrated in this area of the city.
The council voted unanimously to approve the lease to COPE.
