Lack of safe home units for domestic abuse survivors in Galway 'completely unacceptable'

Ottoline Spearman

Immediate action is needed to address the lack of safe home units in Galway, a Fine Gael Senator said.

Safe home units provide medium-term accommodation for individuals and families leaving crisis situations, and are designed to stop survivors from being forced back into unsafe environments.

Senator Seán Kyne has said that it is "completely unacceptable" that Galway has zero safe home units.

"We have 10 refuge units, but no transitional accommodation for families who need a safe place to rebuild their lives,” he said.

At a national level, the Government in Budget 2026 increased the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence funding to €80 million, supporting Cuan and frontline organisations in delivering the Zero Tolerance Strategy against domestic violence.

However, Kyne said while the investment has led to new refuge and safe home units across the country, Galway remains without a single unit, leaving survivors with no supported accommodation options once they leave emergency refuges.

“This gap between services increases the pressure on survivors and leaves them facing impossible choices,”  Kyne said.

“Galway can’t be left behind while other counties with smaller populations are seeing real progress. The Government has shown what can be achieved in places like Louth and Dublin. Now that same urgency needs to be applied to Galway.”

In 2025, the number of domestic violence refuge units increased by 13 - four in Louth and nine in Dublin, with a commitment by Cuan in 2026 to increase the total number of refuge units across the country to 193.

With eight new Safe Home units built in 2025, the total number of units increased to 60 last year, with Cuan looking to increase this to 94 this year.

Kyne is calling on the Departments of Justice and Housing, Galway local authorities and Cuan to work together to identify suitable units and give a clear timeframe for their delivery.

“Survivors in Galway deserve the same access to safety and stability as those in every other part of the country. We have the funding, national strategy and evidence on what works," he said. "Galway must be prioritised without delay.”