‘Meaningful’ action on homelessness urged in Simon Communities fundraising push

The Government has been urged to take “meaningful” measures in fighting homelessness.

The call forms part of the Simon Communities first national fundraising campaign – Homeless And Alone: One Big Push – which highlights that almost two-thirds of adults experiencing homelessness are facing it alone.

Ber Grogan, executive director of Simon Communities of Ireland, said it is looking for increased housing supply and affordability, stronger homelessness prevention measures, improved collaboration across the health, housing, justice and social protection departments, and continued expansion of Housing First.

She said: “We need one big push. And that push needs to put single adults experiencing homelessness at its centre.

“Behind every homelessness figure is a person. Ensuring people experiencing homelessness have a voice in policy development must remain central to Ireland’s response.”

As part of “Simon Week”, Housing Minister James Browne addressed a conference in Dublin on Thursday where he said homelessness remains one of his priorities.

Asked by reporters on the measures to address homelessness in the Budget while Government is focusing on cost-of-living interventions, Mr Browne said: “We’re a wealthy country but people are facing real day-to-day pressures. So we do have to address those, and we have to be realistic about those.

“Addressing the cost of living does feed into people becoming homeless as well.

“It can be a reason why people become homeless in terms of being able to sustain the housing solution they have at the moment, and keeping people in those homes is crucial.

“So I think we have to look at this holistically. What can we do to help people stay in their homes? I think energy is part of that mix.”

The conference also heard from Seán Kinsella, who has lived experience of homelessness.

Mr Kinsella said: “I know what it feels like to be on the other side of the system, to feel judged by your past and defined by your circumstances.

“That’s why conversations about homelessness should include the voices of experts by experience.

“Behind every statistic is a person, a story and a human being who deserves to be seen. We need to move beyond stigma and start asking people what they need to rebuild their lives.”

Meanwhile, Dublin Simon Communities centre at Usher’s Island has a capacity of 100 beds but currently only has funding to operate 75.

It is designed to deal with complex representations of homelessness where addiction, health, social issues and financial instability intersect.

It provides critical services such as detox, step-up and step-down intermediate care, and stabilisation treatment.

The facility was delivered through 38 million euro in capital funding from the Department of Housing under the Capital Assistance Scheme, with more than 10 million euro in annual funding provided by the Department of Health.

The facility has been opening on a phased basis, up from 51 operational beds to 75 currently running – and the capacity to expand to 100.

If fully operational, it could support 1,200–1,400 adults each year.

However, it requires an additional three million euro in annual funding to run at full capacity.

Asked if there would be increased funding for homelessness in the Budget or for Usher’s Island, Mr Browne said the facility is “very important” and “doing extraordinary work”.

He added: “I want to see that fully occupied, and it needs further funding.

“The HSE supplied the funding in relation to getting that open. I know the Taoiseach has made direct interventions in relation to getting those additional supports put in place as well.

“We have to be all on the same page and in fairness the Department of Health is now further engaging back with the homelessness services, and that is as a result of Cabinet subcommittees, where we are now all sitting around the table, which I think maybe hasn’t happened in the past.”

Patricia Walshe, a senior manager of therapeutic services with Dublin Simon, said Usher’s Island is a “prime example” of innovation in addressing the changing needs of homeless people.