Over 3,000 avoided emergency accommodation thanks to charity

Almost two thirds of clients who took part in a pilot study run by Dublin Simon said they had made at least one previous suicide attempt.

One Dublin hotel was last year paid €4m to €5m to accommodate the spiralling numbers of homeless in the capital.

A primary school and local residents have failed in their efforts to prevent Dublin Simon Community from securing planning permission for a 70-bed recovery centre for homeless drug addicts and alcoholics at Usher’s Island in the inner city.

Update 10.33am: The Dublin Simon Community has today officially launched their #LongestDay campaign.

A summit to address the homeless crisis will take place tomorrow after an outpouring of grief over the death of Jonathan Corrie just metres from Leinster House. 

Government vows to end long-term homelessness by 2016 will fail as 1,400 people a night are seeking emergency shelter in Dublin, campaigners have claimed.

Weighed down with all his gear, Alex O’Shea blazed a trail into the book of Guinness World Records, shaving a massive 58 minutes off the record for running a marathon in full firefighting apparel.

Thieves who stole a van used to provide services to the homeless have been urged to hand it back.

The country’s largest homeless charity has warned the sector can not take any further funding cuts in the upcoming budget.

As many as 10 new people presented to Dublin Simon’s homeless services every day last year — and the trend has continued into 2012.

A six-figure bequest was among €1m in wills received by a homeless agency last year.

Celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin was very much down to earth for the launch of a community project to build an inner-city garden for homeless people in Dublin yesterday.

CHARITIES have declared the past year one of their toughest ever, as they faced record demand for services while public donations came under severe strain.

DEPRESSION, dental decay and the threat to health from alcohol and drug use feature heavily among homeless people, almost half of whom suffer from both physical and mental ill health, according to a report.

CHARITIES who deal with homelessness are reporting a surge in demand for their services and have warned of a “demand tsunami” this winter.

The growth in Irish exports is likely to be hit by the slowdown in the world economy, according to the latest National Irish Bank FDI report.

DONATIONS to Dublin Simon Community (DSC) last year fell by more than €500,000, or by almost 40%, as homelessness increased across the capital.

THE shocking range of complex and chronic health problems among Ireland’s homeless community has been revealed for the first time.

SIMON Community centres around the country – which provide aid to the homeless – are facing growing pressure on their services, with the Cork Simon revealing they are full to capacity every night.

LONG-TERM vacant properties should be made available for homeless people seeking shelter during cold snaps and bad weather, the director of a homeless charity has urged.

WE must ensure the poor and vulnerable are protected as well as our financial institutions, a homeless charity has urged as demand for its services soared in recent months.

ALARM was expressed last night at the number of homeless people dying in Dublin while underfunded shelters are being left idle.

A FORMER senior manager with homeless charity Simon yesterday told a tribunal she was forced to quit her job because being she was black and female.

A new one-to-one support service for the homeless could cut the number of people sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin by 20% over two years, it was announced today.

THE Homeless Agency wishes to express its sympathy to the families, friends and service providers who were close to the three people who died recently in Dublin and who were engaged with homeless services.

TWO homeless people were voted onto the board of the troubled charity Dublin Simon at the organisation’s annual general meeting.

DUBLIN’S largest homelessness charity was in crisis last night following the passing of a no-confidence motion in the board during a heated meeting attended by hundreds of staff, volunteers and service users.

A MOTION of no confidence is to be tabled at a meeting of Dublin Simon Community as a row deepens over the dismissal of its chief executive.

DUBLIN Simon Community has moved quickly to replace high-profile Greg Maxwell, sacked from his top position last week.

CADGING a few cigarettes from Dublin Simon Community volunteers on the soup run will soon be a thing of the past.