Simon annual report - Homelessness must be addressed

The Annual Report of the Cork Simon Community for 2005, which was published yesterday, makes for obscene reading, despite the dedicated work of that organisation.

Homelessness rose by 12% in Cork last year. Over 560 people were sleeping rough, or living in substandard accommodation.

Nobody should have to sleep rough, especially in these affluent times. The fact that it happens in the midst of record prosperity is outrageous.

“No one should have to live on the margins of society without access to the same basic level of services and supports that the rest of us take for granted,” Simon director Colette Kelleher insisted.

The number of people using the Simon day centre rose by 51% last year.

There is a tendency to dismiss such misfortune as the fault of the afflicted, but this is just a cop-out. The misfortune could just as easily be the lot of anyone else in society. The plight of the homeless is usually the result of chance and circumstance. Society should recognise that the need for help could just as easily be anyone else’s need.

Despite the magnificent work of the Simon Community, which should be applauded, it is necessary to realise that the problems of homelessness are actually growing. There is much work to be done.