A new fund to support access to arts, culture, and creativity for people in emergency accommodation has been launched in Galway City.
The Emergency Homeless Accommodation Creativity Fund will enable people in emergency accommodation in Galway City to participate in its vibrant creative and cultural life. The fund will support people experiencing homelessness in Galway City to access creative activities by providing small individual grants for music or art lessons, workshops, or to purchase art materials or musical equipment. The grant will be administered by COPE and Simon, in conjunction with their key workers.
Homelessness remains a pressing and persistent issue in Galway City. The lack of affordable, accessible accommodation in recent years has resulted in longer stays in emergency accommodation before successful resettlement. Galway City Council, with the support of Creative Ireland, is working to foster positive, community-focused interventions which improve well-being, build resilience, and combat social exclusion for those experiencing homelessness.
Access to the arts brings significant benefits for health and wellbeing, serving as a catalyst for personal development, self-expression, and social inclusion.
This fund builds on the successes of recent arts projects supported by Galway City Council through their Creative Ireland fund. These projects engaged with residents at COPE Galway and Galway Simon, and included a new mural project at Fairgreen Hostel with the artist Tracy Moca, which demonstrated the appetite among residents for engaging in art activities.
Peter Barnett, Social Worker at Galway City Council, says: “This initiative offers a chance to meet the cultural and creative needs of people in emergency accommodation while also promoting inclusivity, personal growth, and community. By establishing this pilot fund, we can positively impact the lives of people experiencing homelessness, reducing barriers to accessing the arts and by nurturing their creative spirit.”
Paudie Cunningham, team lead at COPE’s Fairgreen Hostel says: “I think this is a great initiative from Galway City Council and will be well received by our service users. Having funding in place will allow for staff to introduce positive meaningful use of time to our service users and hopefully may unearth hidden creativity and interests in the Arts to the people we work with who are experiencing homelessness”.
Aiming to promote equality, individual well-being, and community integration, this pilot scheme is supported by Galway City Council, through the Creative Ireland Programme, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, in collaboration with COPE Galway and Galway Simon.
If you are at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness there are a number of services that may be able to provide assistance to you. For more information visit: galwaycity.ie/homeless-services-information