Simon Community funding 'absurd' with 39 children now homeless in North West

The level of State Funding granted to the Simon Community has been described as “absurd” with 39 children now homeless in the North West

The statement was made by Noel Daly, CEO of North West Simon Community, in the wake of the latest homeless figures, which show a 225% year on year increase in the number of homeless children in the North West region - Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim.

The Department of Housing’s Monthly Homelessness Report for September 2022, shows that 149 people, including 39 children, were provided with Local Authority managed emergency accommodation on the week of September 19 to 25. A grant of €10,250 was given.

The 39 children represents an increase of 77% when compared with the 22 in August, and 225% year on year increase from the 12 child dependents accommodated in September 2021. Some 54 households were accommodated in Donegal/Leitrim, with 56 in Sligo. 

“In the context of this month’s homeless figures, the grant of €10,250 awarded to North West Simon Community by Sligo County Council is absurd,” Daly told DonegalLive. “This money is supposed to meet the cost of providing resettlement and tenancy sustainment support to 10 people at a time over a 12-month period. 

“The fact that it comes after months of intensive political lobbying with the Department, The Minister and the Tanaiste in the chamber of the Dail is quite simply bewildering. The failure of central Government to hear these calls offers little hope that the objective of ending homelessness by 2030 can be delivered upon. During 2021, our homeless prevention team supported 137 households to maintain their existing tenancy or find a new home. 

“In January 2022, funding for a Homeless Prevention and PlaceFinder post in Donegal was withdrawn and funding applications totalling €231,000 to maintain our early intervention and homeless prevention services appear to have been rejected by the Three Local Authorities, and the Department. Given the extent of the homeless crisis, my focus all year should have been on developing new services across the region, but instead it was predominantly on securing funds to keep our services operating.”