Top-up scandal blamed for 20% Simon shortfall

A homeless charity has blamed the Central Remedial Clinic salary top-up scandal for a 20% fall in donations in the run-up to Christmas.

The Simon Communities of Ireland, which work with more than 5,000 people experiencing homelessness, say funding cuts are pushing services to breaking point. Last year they struggled to cope with a 24% increase in people seeking assistance.

The head of the charity’s national office, Patrick Quinn, said more than three quarters of funding for the eight communities around the country came from donations or contributions from the general public or their corporate partners. Mr Quinn said many of the communities were reporting a drop of up to 20% in donations from the public in the run-up to Christmas because of the CRC scandal.