A study conducted by homeless services in Galway city has shown that approximately 15 people are sleeping rough in the city every night.

A boat on the Claddagh which provides shelter for a number of homeless people each night.

This figure is additional to the number of homeless people placed in emergency accommodation by the various services at any one time, and is a "snapshot", according to Concilia Whyte of the Galway Simon Community.

All homeless facilities in the city were full the night the survey was completed, meaning that the total number of people in Galway who are classed as homeless is approximately 150.

One of the services is the Winter Initiative House, which provides ten beds and will close on Monday, 14 April.

Of the 15 rough sleepers counted during the survey, eight were non-Irish and two were Irish, while the remainder were of unconfirmed nationalities.

Charities usually end up providing services to non-Irish (especially non-EU) migrant workers who find themselves in dire straits, as there is no official government policy on dealing with this.

According to Galway City Council, funding for homeless non-Irish people is provided on the basis of individual assessment, but there is no national policy on the issue. A spokesperson for the council said it "hopes that a national policy on the issue of funding services for non habitually resident EU citizens will be formulated as a result of the counted in data from the various urban centres."

Vernice Murray of Galway Migrant Services said the service is noticing a definite economic slowdown, with non-EU migrants in particular finding it difficult to get their work permits renewed. The slowdown is one contributory factor to the increasing number of non-Irish homeless in the city, with recent job losses in both the construction and manufacturing sectors.

When the Simon Community or other homeless services in the city are full, the only option for services is to distribute a 'sleeping pack', consisting of a sleeping bag and a mat, and to allow the person find their own shelter.

This means that many people are sleeping in shop doorways, car parks, shopping centres, boats and even on the beach.

Ms Whyte, who is manager of the Simon Community Day Centre, said the stretch on resources is increasing, with many economic migrants unable to return home due to lack of funds.

There are a number of homeless services throughout Galway, many of which are funded by Galway City Council.

The Simon Community Day Centre provides a drop-in service for homeless people in the city, where they can be provided with food, shower and laundry facilities. There is also a social meeting space for the centre's clients and visitors, while staff at the centre are available to provide advice on housing and welfare, resettlement, referral to temporary accommodation and other issues.

The centre also offers an out of hours homeless referral centre and caters to up to 70 families at risk of homelessness, with 22 currently at risk of homelessness.

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