The Community Call Helpline is here for you or anyone you may know who needs:

• Food, household items, fuel, medications collected or delivered
• Someone to talk to or other social supports
• Meals delivery
• Response to Garda related concerns
• Help with other medical or health needs

Call 1800 400 150 or email covidsupport@galwaycity.ie 

Available  7 days a week, from 9.00am - 5.00pm

As part of the ongoing work of the Galway City Community Response Forum, established to lead the co-ordination of COVID-19 community supports and resilience for Galway City, the Galway City Community Network and Galway City Council have developed a map of the COVID-19 related responses, activities and services available to people in Galway City.

To view the map, click on the following link: https://www.galwaycity.ie/GalwayCityCommunityDashboard  

Mobile- friendly version: https://www.galwaycity.ie/GalwayCityCommunityMap  

An advice and contact information booklet is now available here:

The Community Call - Advice and Contact Information for Your County.pdf

Galway City Council has a supply of these Community Call Booklets and Department of Health Hand Washing Posters, available in hard copy for anyone who has a network to distribute them to.

If you are interested to receive these for your targeted distribution locally, please contact communications@gccn.ie at your earliest convenience.

Please specify quantity required, delivery address and contact person for same.

The booklets/posters will be delivered out by Galway City Council and are available only for people who can distribute them further.

A privacy notice for the Community Call Helpline can be viewed here

Previous updates on the Community Call Helpline and the Community Response Forum can be found below:

Friday, 3 April

The recently established Galway City Community Response Forum met again today, following the launch of the Community Call initiative nationally by Government on Thursday. The multi-agency forum reviewed progress to date and discussed next steps in coordinating community activity and directing assistance to where it is needed.

The new Community Support Helpline is now operational including a Freephone number: 1800 400 150 and a dedicated email address: covidsupport@galwaycity.ie 

The initial focus of this helpline, which is operating 7 days a week from 8.00 am – 8.00pm, is to provide a point to connect with older and vulnerable people who are 'cocooning' with non-medical and non-emergency requests for assistance. This will allow  Galway City Council, An Garda Siochána, DEASP, HSE, the Galway City Community Network, Age Friendly Galway, Galway City Partnership and over a dozen agencies, organisations, community and voluntary groups (linking in some cases with residents' groups and sports clubs) provide practical and moral support to older and vulnerable people.

The COVID-19 Community Response Forum has a membership of about 20 organisations at the moment and includes the Mayor of Galway, Cllr Mike Cubbard, to represent the voice of elected members at the Forum.

The already strong and vital community sector in Galway City has risen to the challenge presented by COVID-19 and are working very closely with us and the other statutory agencies to reach out.

Galway City Council’s elected members, who are embedded in their local communities, have been asked to advise any established or newly formed groups who are in a position to provide assistance, to email their details to covidsupport@galwaycity.ie and their offer of support will be added into the database and mapping of community support in local areas and across the city.

Galway City Council Housing Staff, through the Housing Estate Liaison Officer service and other staff, are also in direct contact with the nearly 400 tenants in our housing who are over the age of 70.

The helpline and the Community Support Forum is being coordinated from Galway City Council Community Department with support from our Customer Services and ICT departments as well as staff from across other departments to deliver further supports to our community as it is affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. This Community Support is now a key priority for Galway City Council and is a critically important element of our work currently and for the foreseeable future.

Tuesday, March 31

At the instigation of Minister Murphy a Covid-19 Community Response Forum has been put in place for Galway City, co-ordinated by Galway City Council as required. The purpose and role of the Forum which includes over a dozen agencies, organisations and community and voluntary groups is to lead the co-ordination of COVID-19 community supports and resilience and to ensure that there is a co-ordinated community response, enabling all the voluntary and statutory agencies to collaborate in support of our communities and particularly our most vulnerable members.

A dedicated community support helpline and service has been established by Galway City Council to assist at-risk members of the public in accessing non-emergency and non-medical supports and advice during the current public health emergency. A confidential phoneline service is available 7 days a week from 8.00am to 8.00pm on 1800 400 150 or alternatively email covidsupport@galwaycity.ie . The helpline is focused primarily on ensuring that vulnerable members of the community or those living alone can access deliveries of groceries, medicine and fuels.

Included in the COVID-19 Galway City Community Response Forum are

• Galway City Council
• Health Service Executive
• An Garda Síochána
• Community Welfare Service, DEASP
• Galway City Partnership
• Galway City Community Network
• Galway Volunteer Centre
• COPE Galway
• Other community, voluntary and sports representatives

The new phoneline is just one aspect of the Forum’s work. Its core aim is contributing to the community-wide effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. Galway City Council, through this group, will ensure that the wide variety of groups working across the city to assist those in need, will do so in an organised, collaborative and targeted way.  Galway City Council’s COVID-19 Community Response Forum is there to ensure the very best use of the many resources assisting vulnerable persons with their daily needs at this unprecedented time, whether that is collecting medication, food shopping, social support and contact.

Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Brendan McGrath, explains “There are a number of agencies currently doing excellent work in delivering care to older and vulnerable people in our communities. These groups are currently operating independently of each other and Galway City Council’s role is to provide a targeted, integrated and coordinated approach to the delivery of these much needed services to our more vulnerable citizens across the city during the COVID-19 pandemic. Galway City Council is ideally placed both statutorily and regionally to channel this great work and provide the governance structure in partnership with all stakeholders.  This public health crisis has changed life for so many, and we are there to help with that change.  Our own staff whose day-jobs have changed due to this crisis, will be a key resource in the management and operation of this community support programme along with our partner agencies/groups.”

Contact details of this new service will be promoted on www.galwaycity.ie, and through social media on Galway City Council’s and partner organisations’ Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds. 

The below framework has been prepared by the local government sector working with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government; the Department of Rural and Community Development; the Department of Health; and the Department of The Taoiseach. It provides a national template for arrangements to be put in place in each local authority area to ensure that all vulnerable members of our communities are appropriately supported as we move through the next stages of the COVID-19 response.

Framework for Community Support 2.4.2020.pdf

COVID_19 Local Authority Community Response Contact Information.pdf