The housing crisis is pushing people into homelessness and preventing people from leaving homelessness. Our Emergency Shelter is overflowing with an average of 53 people per night relying on a Cork Simon emergency bed. People are staying for longer and longer in emergency accommodation because they have no other options. Rents in Cork City increased 5.3% last year; Rent Supplement and Housing Assistance Payments do not come near asking rents.
Our Emergency Shelter is located on Anderson’s Quay, in the heart of Cork city centre. The Shelter provides care, accommodation and one-to-one support for 47 people around-the-clock, every day of the year.Demand for emergency beds is high – throughout 2017 the Shelter accommodated an average of 53 people per night – the need for emergency accommodation is so great that we try to accommodate as many people as is safe to do so.
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If you know Cork, you know that we live in a caring community. And that sense of belonging, that feeling of community, was here before all of us – and will be here long after us.
Here at Cork Simon, we are blessed that our supporters have enriched our organisation – and our community – with their generous gifts.
What we’ve achieved, with the amazing support of our donors, represents our community at its very best. Read More
October 15th, 7:07 pm
The ‘Home for Good’ campaign including organisations like Simon Communities of Ireland, Mercy Law Resource Centre, Barnardos, SIPTU, and Forsa are currently engaging in research to assist in developing proposals to address the housing crisis and homelessness, and in identifying the most effective messages for communicating these proposals.
We need your help to build a campaign on housing and homelessness. Please complete this survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/Home4Good it takes less than five minutes. Please retweet/share the survey link. We need lots of people to complete it.
October 10th, 7:55 pm
Our Soup Run was a life line for Mick when he lost his job and became homeless during the recession.
“Where would I be without Cork Simon? Honestly, I don’t know.
I think something stupid would have happened. Like my friend Andrew. God rest his soul.
Most of the time it was me looking after him, but he helped me out as well. Things got really bad for him though, and one night he told me he had tried to commit suicide the night before, and that he’d written me a goodbye letter.
I was really shocked. I made sure I was there for him as much as I could, we’d see each other every day and I hoped that would prevent him doing anything. But then one time I couldn’t find him for a full day and I got this awful feeling that something was wrong. I went to the Guards they found out he was in the Mercy in intensive care.
He’d taken an overdose and he died a few days later.
Losing my buddy like that hit me very hard. I often thought to myself that maybe I should follow him.
But Cork Simon saved me. They helped me with so much stuff that would have been too difficult for me to do on my own. They organised for me to see a counsellor. They found me a permanent bed. I need to get myself and my head straight again.
There was a time before all this mess started, that my son was supposed to come to be with me full-time. I’d like to get back to that point, and get my dog back and be happy doing a job and being with my son.
Hopefully that’s what will come out of it at the end.
Mick”
October 9th, 7:07 pm
“I like hearing about her small victories because they feel like mine too,” full time volunteer, Emma lights up when she talks about Kate’s visits back to the High Support House she used to live in.
“It’s little moments I love, like when Kate comes to visit us. She moved out and got her own place a few months ago. Hearing how she’s getting on, she’s always learned something new on the computer.”
October 8th, 7:31 pm
Darko’s walks take him through parks, churches and down side streets – in all weathers. As one of our Outreach Workers, he checks on people who are sleeping rough in some of the most forgotten and lonely parts of Cork.
It’s an all season, all weather job for an all season issue - homelessness. He makes sure to take the time to talk to each man and woman he meets, encouraging them, making sure they know they have someone to turn to when they need it most.
October 6th, 7:18 pm
Dare we say the C word? Christmas….
Pam and Marjorie from our Cork City Women’s Little Christmas Lunch committee are back in action ahead of the festive season and busy organising our Women’s Christmas Lunch.
More updates on the Cork City lunch are coming soon!
