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 22nd, 7:45 pm
A big céad míle fáilte to Marlene and Janne who have joined us from Germany as full-time volunteers.
Marlene and Janne are two of our 17 full time volunteers from the U.K., France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Serbia and New Zealand. Our volunteers work alongside our staff supporting people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless here in Cork.
Volunteers founded Cork Simon in 1971 - the first volunteers organised a nightly Soup Run – a service that volunteers still run every night of the year.
47 years later volunteers remain at the heart of everything we do, without them we wouldn't be Cork Simon. Thank you for believing in people.
October 18th, 7:47 pm
Are you a budding young writer in secondary school in Cork or Kerry or do you know one?
If so let them know about the Cork Simon’s Young Writers Awards – #WriteforHome.
We are inviting students to compose a 500-800-word essay, short story or poem on the theme of homelessness. The winner will receive a laptop and have their entry published in the Irish Examiner.
For more information and to find out how to enter visit: www.corksimon.ie/youngwritersawards/
Shauna O Donnell
Elizabeth O Donnell
Jack Mc Mahon
Padraig Lynch
Patrick McLoughlin Veronica Bourke
October 17th, 5:27 pm
The Countdown is on! Just 177 days to go to the 2019 Cork Simon Ball on the 12 April.
The voluntary organising committee for our 19th Annual Fundraising Ball, Mark Kelleher, Billy Newton, Donal Downey, Deirdre Malone and Pearse O'Donovan, held their first meeting this month and are already rolling up their sleeves to ensure that this years ball is one to remember.
October 15th, 7:07 pm
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 as many people to complete it as possible.
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”
