Our churches should provide shelter at night to the homeless

The Simon Community’s homelessness awareness week revealed a stark truth: most of us sleep in our beds at night knowing that others huddle outside in the cold and rain.

The number of people sleeping rough is increasing. The Simon shelter in Cork always had spare beds; now it turns away 20 people each night.

Despite the heroic work of Simon, Edel House and of volunteers, nationwide, government funding to the sector has been slashed. It makes no economic, social or moral sense. That things are reputedly beginning to turn will take a long, long time to trickle down to those for whom the streets are their homes.