Simon Communities of Ireland

15,286 men, women, and children experienced homelessness in January 2025 according to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage's latest report. 4,603 of which were children. This represents an increase of 13% (1,755) compared to Januray 2024. 📈 🗣️ Ber Grogan, Executve Director of Simon Communities of Ireland, commented "The alarming rise in homelessness is a glaring indictment of our failure to implement effective prevention strategies. These individuals, children, and families are trapped in a crisis with no end in sight." Read Press Release here: https://lnkd.in/gC_wt3GZ

Don't forget to register for next week's #SimonTalks Our webinar with Conor O'Toole has been resheduled for Monday, March 3rd. Join us as we discuss Ireland's Economic and Housing Market in 2025 🏠 Register here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eCwNJxfE

📢 Calling all Architectural Practices in Ireland! 🏡✏️ We are calling on all practices to sign up for this year’s RIAI Simon Open Door Campaign! The campaign is is scheduled for 7-13 April, with all proceeds going to the Simon Communities of Ireland to help tackle homelessness in Ireland. Your participation is invaluable to the success of this campaign. Volunteering your time and expertise helps the Simon Communities of Ireland provide essential support to those in need. To get involved: 1. Register your practice: Visit the RIAI Simon Open Door website and sign up. The platform allows you to create a profile, add multiple Architects, and manage your consultation schedule efficiently. 2. Plan your participation: Determine the number of consultations your team can commit to during the campaign week. Architects can choose hours that suit them best and consultations can be conducted online or in-person. There is no obligation to take on a project beyond the consultation, so Registered Architects working across all areas can get involved. 3. Promote the initiative: Utilise your practice's communication channels to spread the word about the campaign. Encourage clients, partners, and the broader community to book consultations or make donations. Every consultation counts, so we urge you to sign up on https://lnkd.in/dpN7fVqk, even if you can only offer an hour of your time. Join us in supporting this worthy cause! #RIAISimonOpenDoor #helpingthehomeless #simoncommunities

Thank you to Children's Rights Alliance for another insightful Report Card publication. We are not surprised to see low grades on the subjects of Reduction of Family Homelessness and the Development of a Youth Homelessness Strategy. That does leave the Government room for improvement, and we look forward to collaborating in our efforts to promote change! #ReportCard2025

"Homeless Person" or "Person Experiencing Homelessness"? Can our language change the narrative?   Our Executive Director, Ber Grogan, wrote a letter to the editor of the Irish Times which was published in today's paper commenting on the impact of language when discussing the monthly homeless figures.   Any one of us could experience homelessness in our lifetime. Many people are living pay cheque to pay cheque each month, trying to make ends meet. Why should an experience define how society views and values a person? The monthly figures are released on the last Friday of every month, and they get some media headlines. But have people become immune to the unacceptable reality that we have over 14,000 people being held in emergency accommodation? Would a change in language also evoke a change in sentiment among the public and policymakers? Could we start referring to people experiencing homelessness or children experiencing homelessness and see if the narrative shifts? We could go further and talk about forced homelessness, but for the moment, maybe an opportunity exists to reset our discussions around housing and homelessness. We could start by humanising the tens of thousands of our peers and acknowledging that, like the Lotto says, it could be you.

Our #SimonTalks webinar with Conor O'Toole has been rescheduled for March 3rd! Registrations from the original date have automatically been reregistered for this webinar. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eCwNJxfE

We were delighted to meet with Eoin Ó Broin this morning with fellow members of the IHPG to discuss our proposals outlined in our 10 Key Actions On Homelessness for the New Government document 🏠

🔵Homelessness remains one of Europe’s most pressing social challenges, affecting at least 895,000 individuals across the continent. Families, women, young people, migrants, and individuals in precarious employment are increasingly vulnerable, facing complex barriers to #housing and social inclusion. Despite efforts to address #homelessness through rights-based and housing-led approaches, significant challenges persist. A lack of harmonised data, fragmented service provision, and insufficient monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks limit the ability of policymakers and service providers to implement effective solutions. Without a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy, homelessness services risk being reactive rather than preventative. To address this, #COMHOM is pioneering data-driven solutions to improve monitoring, evaluation, and service provision across Europe. Launched in January 2025, COMHOM will: ✅ Develop a standardised M&E framework for homelessness services. ✅ Create digital tools, #AI models, and a centralised data platform to enhance decision-making. ✅ Support #social experimentation through sub-grants to innovative homelessness response initiatives. ✅ Strengthen collaboration across welfare systems to improve service delivery. Following our kick-off meeting in Barcelona, we are excited to share more about this initiative and how it will help shape evidence-based policies across #Europe. Fundació de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Value for Health CoLAB, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Social IT srl, Chino.io, Simon Communities of Ireland, PRAKSIS, FEANTSA, Y-Säätiö, and SMES. ➡️ Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dzveWA4N

The latest Locked Out of the Market report has found that 8 of the 16 study areas did not have properties available to rent within HAP limits ❌ 🗣️"Landlord came to me said ‘your contracts up; I’m not gonna give you another one’. It was hard to find somewhere. Nobody wants to take HAP, that’s the problem. Trying to find a place - I looked – and it’s just not there like. I was out on the streets for one night. Ended up in here [Cork Simon emergency shelter]. I’d never been in the homeless services before – I’ve worked for myself all my life. These kinda things, they soul destroy ya, they really do." 🔗 Read the report on our website: https://lnkd.in/ee8VyUYY

Calling All Registered Architects: Sign Up for the RIAI Simon Open Door 2025 - Help us tackle Youth Homelessness! The RIAI Simon Open Door campaign returns for its 21st year, inviting Registered Architects across Ireland to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness by volunteering an hour of their time. This year we are putting a focus on youth homelessness, which is a growing concern for the Simon Communities of Ireland but also on area where early positive intervention can make a huge difference to people’s lives. We are determined to make this year’s campaign a great success and invite all Registered Architects to join this important cause. By offering just one hour of your time, you can help raise vital funds to support some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. Join us and make a difference 🧷 https://lnkd.in/dpN7fVqk #riaisimonopendoor #simoncommunities #youthhomelessness