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  • 50 years of Cork Simon
  1. About us
  2. History

50 years of Cork Simon

Black and white image of Anton Wallich-Clifford, the founder of the Simon Community.Anton Wallich-Clifford, a probation officer working in London in the fifties and sixties, noticed that many of the cases he worked with at Bow Street Station had one common factor – several of the names were followed by three simple letters: NFA – No Fixed Abode. Behind these letters lay a complex and overlooked deeper social issue: homelessness.

Anton became increasingly frustrated by the consistent failure of society to address the problem in a meaningful way. Through his work with the probation services he could see the “thousands who fall yearly through gaping holes in the welfare net”. He recognised the work of many committed people and voluntary groups working with people experiencing homelessness, but equally he recognised the need for a new and radical approach to tackling the problem of homelessness.

His frustration with the persistence of the problems resulted in him founding the Simon Community.

In 1969 Anton Wallich-Clifford came to Ireland with a view to recruiting volunteers to work with the many homeless Irish people he was meeting in England. He helped establish in Dublin the first Simon Community.


Old black and white image of volunteers preparing for the Soup Run in the early days of Cork Simon
Two years later, in 1971, Anton came to Cork and advertised a meeting for those interested in helping people experiencing homelessness in and around the city. From that first meeting, a small group of volunteers began to meet regularly. This group, guided by Anton and the Simon Community philosophy and principles, lobbied local businesses and Cork Corporation as it was known at the time. They began a regular count of the number of people sleeping rough and started a nightly Soup Run, a service that continues to operate with the help of volunteers every night of the year. Cork Simon Community was up and running.


Old black and white image of service users outside Cork Simons first emergency shelter in the early seventiesEventually, Cork Simon acquired a property in the city centre to provide shelter and support for people experiencing homelessness. With the incredible support of the people of Cork – supporters, donors and volunteers, in 1996 the Emergency Shelter on Anderson’s Quay opened, which today also houses a Day Service, a high-support house and several flats.

That support from the wider community in Cork has been steadfast. As a result, we now offer care, housing and support to over one thousand men and women each year.

We also support people living in private rented accommodation, in city and county council houses and in accommodation provided by various housing associations; supporting people to keep their tenancies and to begin leaving homelessness behind. There’s a Health Team, a Drug Treatment and Aftercare service, an Employment & Training service, to name but a few.


Old black and white image from the early seventies of a former Cork Simon service userMuch has changed since that first Cork Simon meeting 50 years ago – services for people who are homeless have vastly improved; we have a greater understanding of the complex nature of homelessness and the complex responses that are required to tackle homelessness; the profile of people who become homeless has changed and the causes of homelessness have expanded.

But there’s also much that hasn’t changed – volunteers are as much a part of Cork Simon today as they were 50 years ago, perhaps more so. The support from the wider community for Cork Simon and the people we support remains as strong as ever. Our values of Community, Commitment to Care, Diversity, Inclusion, Social Justice and Voluntarism continue to guide everything we do.



Fifty Faces of Cork Simon


Fifty Years in the making, decades in the refining.
Those Fifty Years bring perspective and clarity; hardening our purpose and resolve, our sense of do or die: ending the nightmare of homelessness for every man and woman turning to us for help.

To mark our 50th anniversary, we're presenting Fifty Faces of Cork Simon - one per week, representing the thousands of men and women who make us what we are: people believing in people, shaping dreams into reality. These are their words, their stories, our experience.

View 50 Faces of Cork Simon



Come on in - a history of Cork Simon Community

Image of the cover of the book, Come on in - a history of Cork Simon Community by Cork author, Monica McNamara.
Cork author, Monica McNamara has written, 'Come on in - a history of Cork Simon Community'. The book offers an insight into everyday life in the first emergency shelter on John Street which was open from 1972 to 1996.  Former 'workers' in Cork Simon, many of whom worked full-time in a voluntary capacity, contribute to evocative portraits of the men and women experiencing homelessness here in Cork.

'Come on in - a history of Cork Simon Community' is available for sale at our Online Shop and at Waterstones on Patrick Street, Vibes & Scribes on Lavitt’s Quay, The Gift Shop at Nano Nagle Place, and St. Peter’s on North Main Street. All proceeds go to Cork Simon Community.

Published: 3rd July, 2021

Updated: 10th January, 2022

Author:

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  • Annual Fundraising Ball

    Annual Fundraising Ball

    Cork Simon's Annual Fundraising Ball is all about coming together as a community to support the life-changing, life-saving work with men and women who are homeless and turning to Cork Simon for help. It's one of the key social events in Cork every year.

  • Voluntary Committee

    Voluntary Committee

    A voluntary committee of some of Cork's key business leaders is responsible for organising our Cork Simon Annual Fundraising Ball each Year. Ruth Fuller is this year's voluntary Chair. Hear why Ruth and the other voluntary members are getting involved.

  • Fundraising Ball Sponsors

    Fundraising Ball Sponsors

    Our Cork Simon Annual Fundraising Ball is a unique opportunity for companies interested in placing their brand in front of a captive audience of corporates and high net-worth individuals. See some of those companies that sponsor our Ball year after year.

  • Making a Difference

    Making a Difference

    There are many ways your company can get involved in our Annual Fundraising Ball in a way that your key stakeholders and the broader Cork community will see you working in partnership with Cork Simon to create solutions to homelessness.

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  • Work with us

    Cork Simon Community is committed to equality of opportunity. We are not currently recruiting at present.

  • Factsheets

    Factsheets

    View the latest monthly emergency accommodation figures for Cork and the Southwest from the Department of Housing, and download the Cork Homeless Forum Directory of Services for people experiencing homelessness and their Guide to Emergency Homeless Services in Cork.

  • Donate

    Donate

    Sometimes, Danny goes days without speaking to a soul.
    Your generosity can keep the Soup Run going, providing Danny with a hot meal and the priceless gift of human connection.

  • Get Help

    Details of services and contact numbers if you are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.

  • Part time volunteering

    Part time volunteering

    Volunteers founded Cork Simon almost 50 years ago and remain at the heart our community. Part-time volunteers are active in everything Cork Simon does, from sitting on our Board of Directors to helping us to fundraise to supporting people to develop life skills such as cooking, literacy and numeracy.

  • Services team

    Services team

    Key contacts for our range of services, including Emergency, Outreach, Housing and Housing First, Addiction and Aftercare, and Personal Development services.

  • Sponsor a Room

    Sponsor a Room

    As a Room Sponsor you will be helping to save lives. You give a monthly gift, at an amount you can afford, to provide someone who is homeless with a safe room of their own, everything that goes with that, and a pathway to move into independent living. Believing in people.

  • High-support housing

    High-support housing

    Our High-Support Houses throughout Cork provide intensive levels of round-the-clock care every day for men and women whose health and other personal support needs are such that living independently is not currently sustainable.

  • Emergency shelter

    Emergency shelter

    Our Emergency Shelter on Anderson’s Quay, in the heart of Cork’s city centre, provides round-the-clock temporary accommodation and one-to one support. Our emergency shelter supports men and women over 18 years of age.

  • Senior management team

    Senior management team

    Our Director, Dermot Kavanagh, reports directly to the Board of Directors. The Senior Management Team works with Dermot in running Cork Simon’s day-to-day operations.

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Vacancy Walk
Homeless watch

Homeless watch

517 men and women were depending on emergency accommodation in Cork in March 2023 - one of the highest on record.

Our Emergency Shelter is overflowing. People are staying longer because they have no other options.

Rents in Cork continue to rise while supply remains at an all-time low; Rent Supplement & Housing Assistance Payments fall well-short of current market rents.

See the figures behind the crisis in our regularly updated Homeless Watch Read more

Published: 26th June, 2019

Updated: 18th May, 2023

Author:

Sponsor a Room

Sponsor a Room

As a Room Sponsor you will be helping to save lives. You give a monthly gift, at an amount you can afford, to provide someone who is homeless with a safe room of their own, everything that goes with that, and a pathway to move into independent living. Believing in people. Read more

Published: 26th August, 2020

Updated: 13th January, 2023

Author:

50 Faces of Cork Simon

50 Faces of Cork Simon

50 Years in the making, decades in the refining. 50 Faces reflecting the thousands of men and women who make us what we are: people believing in people. These are their words, their stories, our experience. Read more

Published: 2nd September, 2022

Updated: 11th January, 2023

Author: Will Rossi

Donate

Donate

Sometimes, Danny goes days without speaking to a soul.
Your generosity can keep the Soup Run going, providing Danny with a hot meal and the priceless gift of human connection. Read more

Donate Fundraise

Published: 2nd November, 2022

Updated: 28th April, 2023

Author:

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Cork Simon Community is registered in Ireland as a company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital.
Company Registration Number: 42511
Registered Charity Number: 20022914
Charity Number: CHY 9155

Registered office: St. Nicholas House, Cove Street, Cork. T12 DEH5

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