Simon Community reports increasing demand for services

The Simon Community has reported a huge increase in demand for its services across the country in the first six months of this year.

The homeless charity says its Cork shelter was full every night from January to June, with an average of eight people being turned away daily.

In Dublin and Dundalk, demand is up more than 40%, while 45 different nationalities have presented at the Galway centre.

The organisation says it is concerned about how its services will cope with demand next year, without any budget increases.