Simon community ‘stretched to limit’ by homeless crisis
Amid fears the crisis has deepened even further this year, the annual report by the Simon Community outlined the scale of the problem as it ramped up in 2013. The 6,122 people supported last year was a 41% increase on a comparable figure for 2011.
For those falling into homelessness, 1,182 people accessed Simon Communities emergency accommodation in all four regions of the country last year, while 1,828 people accessed treatment and support, including community alcohol detoxification and drugs counselling.
Another 1,830 people availed of daytime support services while 1,243 people were supported in housing settings, including Simon housing and the private rented sector.
With rising rents in the private rental sector cited as one of the main reasons why the crisis has worsened in 2014, Niamh Randall, the National Spokesperson for the Simon Communities, said it was “unacceptable” that people who were homeless or at the risk of becoming so were “paying the price of austerity”.
“The current housing shortage is impeding progress on a housing-led approach to ending homelessness and unless addressed urgently, will result in the Government failing to achieve their target of ending long term homelessness and rough sleeping by 2016,” Ms Randall said.
Ms Randall said the range of services provided by the Simon Communities from its eight centres around the country were “stretched to the limit” and said government action on issues such as the level of rent supplement were essential to ease the pressure on people and the services working with them.
“Not only are people being pushed over the edge into homelessness but people are being prevented from leaving homelessness,” she said. “We urgently need an increase in rent supplement and rent certainty for tenants.”
Ms Randall said the annual increase in the number of people using services provided by the Simon communities was “a worrying indication of the depth of the homeless crisis” and said while there was a strong welcome for recent measures announced by government in the wake of the death of Jonathan Corrie in Dublin city centre, they needed to be delivered.
“We call for full implementation of the 20-point Action Plan announced last week,” she said. “These emergency actions are only part of a solution towards ending the homelessness emergency.”
Minister for the Environment, Alan Kelly said: “Homelessness is not just about Dublin. I have lived in many other counties and people are homeless across the country.”
He said reports such as those from Simon were “never designed to sit on shelves”and stressed his was committed to ensuring people had “a roof over their head”.
He also mentioned using voids, or vacant housing stock, as a means to alleviating homelessness
Meanwhile, Ms Randall added: “We know people can leave homelessness behind for good, they need the right housing and right support.”
www.simon.ie
- 1,182 people accessed Simon Community emergency accommodation in four regions over the year.
- Rough Sleeper teams in Cork and Dublin engaged in 6,165 contacts.
- 1,830 people availed of daytime support, advice, information and referral services.
- 1,243 people were supported in housing across the country, including Simon housing, social housing and private rented housing with support appropriate to their needs.
- 1,828 people accessed specialist treatment and support services, including health care, drugs counselling and community alcohol detoxification.
- 305 people accessed education, training and employment services provided directly by the Simon Communities.
- 2,500 volunteers supported the work of the Simon Community in 2013.
- 6,122 people were supported across the country in 2013; this represents a 17% increase on 2012 and a 41% increase on 2011.
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