COPE Galway CLG

Politician(s) lobbied: Robert Troy (Minister of State), Department of Finance; John Connolly (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas

Intent: To secure the ongoing and expanded funding the COPE Galway ‘Helping Kids First’ initiative which focuses on addressing children’s physical, emotional and social wellbeing impacted by their experience of family homelessness in Galway.

Methods: Letter

Politician(s) lobbied: Thomas Byrne (Minister of State), Department of Foreign Affairs

Intent: Consideration of possibility of an EU Council recommendation on homelessness during the Irish Presidency and if a conference on homelessness might be organised during the Irish Presidency of the Council.

Methods: Meeting

Politician(s) lobbied: Peter Roche (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Albert Dolan (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Louis O'Hara (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Seán Canney (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Seán Kyne (Senator), Seanad; Ollie Crowe (Senator), Seanad; Anne Rabbitte (Senator), Seanad

Intent: Housing - resourcing of increased exit routes from homelessness; adapt a 'Housing First' approach to family homelessness; resource access to housing for women and children leaving domestic abuse refuge, increased funding on homeless prevention and tenancy support..Youth Homelessness - resource delivery of support services and the current Youth Homelessness Strategy and commit to developing a successor strategy; fund psychosocial programmes addressing the traumatic impact of homelessness::Domestic abuse - fully resourcing legal aid representation, Fund updating schools’ curricula/educational programmes to eradicate Domestic, Sexual andGender-based violence (DSGBSV), delivered by specialised, trained and expert staff.Resource delivery of systematic, mandatory training and educational programmes, by DSGBVspecialists, appropriately trained, expert staff, on DSGBV to all workers in public services,::Older people - Resource a comprehensive, all-of-government national ageing strategy; Resourc

Methods: Submission

Politician(s) lobbied: Barry Andrews (MEP), European Parliament; Billy Kelleher (MEP), European Parliament; Barry Cowen (MEP), European Parliament; Cynthia Ní Mhurchú (MEP), European Parliament; Ciaran Mullooly (MEP), European Parliament; Regina Doherty (MEP), European Parliament; Seán Kelly (MEP), European Parliament; Luke Ming Flanagan (MEP), European Parliament; Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (MEP), European Parliament

Intent: To ensure that the voices of those with the lived experience of homelessness are represented in the policy debate at the EU level and in preparation of the Irish Presidency of the EU Council in 2026.

Methods: Lobby day

Politician(s) lobbied: Thomas Gould (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; William Aird (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Frank Feighan (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Fiona O'Loughlin (Senator), Seanad; Teresa Costello (Senator), Seanad; Shane Moynihan (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Shane Curley (Senator), Seanad; Sarah Reilly (Councillor), Meath County Council; Aisling Dempsey (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Natasha Newsome Drennan (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Michael Cahill (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Danny Healy-Rae (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Gillian Toole (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Rónán Mullen (Senator), Seanad; Pádraig Rice (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Eileen Flynn (Senator), Seanad; Eamon Scanlon (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Senator), Seanad; Mark Daly (Senator), Seanad; Naoise O'Cearúil (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Cormac Devlin (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas

Intent: Awareness raising of this important work and seeking additional funding for agencies supporting addressing these priorities of communication, access to key people/help, community care and bereavement support.

Methods: Event / Reception

Politician(s) lobbied: James Browne (Minister), Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; Jim O'Callaghan (Minister), Department of Justice; Hildegarde Naughton (Minister of State), Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; Noel Grealish (Minister of State), Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Seán Canney (Minister of State), Department of Transport; Stephanie O’Keeffe (Chief Executive Officer), Cuan; Graham Doyle (Secretary General), Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Intent: Securing funding for the amount of €694,014 which represents the balance of the capital funding cost of COPE Galway's Modh Eile House Domestic Abuse refuge.

Methods: Letter

Politician(s) lobbied: Jack Chambers (Minister), Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform; Paschal Donohoe (Minister), Department of Finance; Mairéad Farrell (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Catherine Connolly (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Noel Grealish (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Hildegarde Naughton (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; John Connolly (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Aisling Burke (Councillor), Galway City Council; Shane Forde (Councillor), Galway City Council; Declan McDonnell (Councillor), Galway City Council; Helen Uchechukwu Ogbu (Councillor), Galway City Council; Terry O'Flaherty (Councillor), Galway City Council; John McDonagh (Councillor), Galway City Council; Alan Curran (Councillor), Galway City Council; Clodagh Higgins (Councillor), Galway City Council; Frank Fahy (Councillor), Galway City Council; Josie Forde (Councillor), Galway City Council; Donal Lyons (Councillor), Galway City Council; Alan Cheevers (Councillor), Galway City Council; Eddie Hoare (Councillor), Galway City Council; Niall McNelis (Councillor), Galway City Council; Peter Keane (Councillor), Galway City Council; Mike Cubbard (Councillor), Galway City Council; Michael John Crowe (Councillor), Galway City Council; Eibhlín Seoighthe (Councillor), Galway City Council

Intent: Housing - resourcing of increased exit routes from homelessness; adapt a 'Housing First' approach to family homelessness; resource access to housing for women and children leaving domestic abuse refuge, increased funding on homeless prevention and tenancy support..Youth Homelessness - resource delivery of support services and the current Youth Homelessness Strategy and commit to developing a successor strategy; fund psychosocial programmes addressing the traumatic impact of homelessness::Domestic abuse - fully resourcing legal aid representation, Fund updating schools’ curricula/educational programmes to eradicate Domestic, Sexual andGender-based violence (DSGBSV), delivered by specialised, trained and expert staff.Resource delivery of systematic, mandatory training and educational programmes, by DSGBVspecialists, appropriately trained, expert staff, on DSGBV to all workers in public services,::Older people - Resource a comprehensive, all-of-government national ageing strategy; Resourc

Methods: Submission

Politician(s) lobbied: Jerry Buttimer (Minister of State), Department of Rural and Community Development

Intent: The inclusion and participation of all communities and particularly ethnic and other minorities, in the development of policies that impact upon them, is of prime importance and should be mainstreamed as a strategic objective, throughout the new strategy.::Increasing and expanding the modalities of cooperation with local communities to participate in the support of local development initiatives; recommend the inclusion of alternate routes to participation, in the new strategy, to improve engagement with marginalised communities who may be relatively disenfranchised; the next strategy to consider the extent to which PPNs are being facilitated to identify and engage with marginalised groups.::To ensure the involvement of communities in the decisions that affect them, inclusion should be accessible for communities through providing appropriate information and venues, potentially including translation services and childcare; apply diverse methods of engagement targeted to different prefere

Methods: Submission

Politician(s) lobbied: Adrienne Wallace (Councillor), Carlow County Council; Peter Horgan (Councillor), Cork City Council; Joe Lynch (Councillor), Cork City Council; Conor Reddy (Councillor), Dublin City Council; Mícheál MacDonncha (Councillor), Dublin City Council; Dermot Lacey (Councillor), Dublin City Council; Oisín O'Connor (Councillor), Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council; Brendan Ryan (Councillor), Fingal County Council; Brendan Ryan (Councillor), Fingal County Council; William Durkan (Councillor), Kildare County Council; Pat Balfe (Councillor), Kildare County Council; Nuala Killeen (Councillor), Kildare County Council; Chris Pender (Councillor), Kildare County Council; Lumi Panaite Fahey (Councillor), Kildare County Council; Seán Ó hArgáin (Councillor), Kilkenny County Council; Niamh Fennell (Councillor), South Dublin County Council; Thomas Phelan (Councillor), Waterford City and County Council

Intent: An increased understanding of the extent of youth homelessness across local authorities and to provide quarterly publicly available reports on the number of young people aged 18-24 that present for support due to homelessness including numbers assessed as homeless under section 2 of Housing Act 1988, numbers allocated emergency accommodation, numbers not allocated emergency accommodation and reasons why and the numbers not regards as homeless.

Methods: Email

Politician(s) lobbied: Clare Mungovan (Special Adviser), Department of the Taoiseach

Intent: Addressing homelessness - The provision of more social housing in Galway City; 10% of new social housing to be dedicated to accommodate long-term homeless families; Fully implement the youth homeless strategy; ensure full drawdown of Traveller accommodation funds::Addressing Domestic Sexual and Gender-based violence - implement policies which support zero tolerance of DSGBV; fund schools education prograames to eradicate DSGBV delivered by expert staff in this area; educational programmes on causation of DSGBV delivered to all govt depts and agencies to be in a better position to respond appropriately; ensure access to move on accommodation for women and children from DV refuge; include those accommodated in DV refuge in national homelessness figures.::Older people - introduce policies to ensure that all can age well in their homes and communities; index state pension to always be equivalent to at least 34% of total average earnings; introduce a statutory homecare scheme and increase

Methods: Submission