Peter McVerry Trust, the national housing and homeless charity, today opened their new Western Regional Office in Tuam. The office was officially opened by Galway East TD and Minister of State for Disability, Anne Rabbitte.

So far this year, the Peter McVerry Trust has supported 176 people across its western services, and the opening of the new office will allow the charity to ramp up its delivery of these services and expand its delivery of housing for the region.

Peter McVerry Trust began delivery of social housing in Galway in 2020 and has since expanded to Mayo and Roscommon. This year the charity started to deliver dedicated employment support, Activation First, for its tenants in the west of Ireland.

Activation First builds on the principles of Housing First by supporting people to both sustain their tenancies in their new home and supporting them to become engaged in their communities. This includes support to access further education and training and to enter the workforce.

The charity also delivers homeless services in the region, and opened its first family hub service in Galway in partnership with Galway City Council. The service has supported 21 families impacted by homelessness in 2022.

Peter McVerry Trust is also part of the national response to the accommodation needs of Ukrainian refugees fleeing an on-going war. The charity is providing onsite supports and assistance at a property in Mayo accommodating Ukrainian families. The service in Westport has supported 11 families since commencing in August 2022.

Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust, said: “At Peter McVerry Trust we’re focused on finding practical and sustainable solutions to the homeless crisis, which today affects the west of Ireland like it affects every other region in the country.”

“We supported 176 people across our services in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon this year. That’s 176 unique individuals experiencing homelessness who needed our support. The opening of our Western Regional Office here in Tuam will allow us to continue to expand this much needed support.”

“We’ve been working in closely with the local authorities here over the last couple of years, and along with the support of our donors, this partnership has allowed us to grow the number of homes we provide in the region and support more local people out of homelessness.”