Homelessness charities call for urgent need for increased supports in Westmeath

Sophia and Midlands Simon Community are raising concerns on the increased numbers of people sleeping rough in Westmeath, and across the midlands, and are calling on the government to act urgently to meet this growing need.

Midlands Simon Community provide emergency accommodation, outreach support and long-term supported accommodation to people who are experiencing homelessness across the region. Their outreach service encounters 30 people sleeping rough each quarter, and the numbers are growing.

June Carely, Midlands Simon outreach worker, said that she is “coming across people rough sleeping in sheds, derelict buildings, under bridges and it’s not just towns – it’s in villages too”.

Mark Cooney, chairperson of Midlands Simon Community, speaking on RTÉ, said: “The perception is that homelessness is something that is confined to the large urban areas – it’s not. It’s in the midlands, in rural areas, smaller towns – and it doesn’t get the recognition and the funding it should.”

Last year the government spent €1.3m on private B&B emergency accommodation in the midlands, and for every €1 that Midlands Simon Community receives in funding to provide homeless services it has to raise €1 in donations, which they say is unsustainable.

They say there is an urgent need for increased funding to meet the needs of homeless people across the midlands.

Mr Cooney said: “We’re struggling every month, looking to see if there’s enough money there to meet the wages and to keep the services going and we just need that additional funding to reflect what is happening.”

Sophia and Midlands Simon Community are collaborative partners, and together the two organisations provide supports to some 150 people in the midlands.

In the coming years the two organisations have the potential to provide 145 supported homes for people in need of housing – however, Sophia and Midlands Simon Community CEO Tony O’Riordan has noted an urgent need to speed up the process of funding and green-lighting projects to meet the growing and immediate need of people experiencing homelessness across the midlands.

Midlands Simon Community and Sophia have specialised in adapting and developing the Housing First model through providing housing with support. Their Regional Support Service (homelessness) supports over 108 cases at any one time.

“We urgently need the Department of Housing to speed up the pace of reviewing applications and approving applications and bring an urgency to responding to the issue, which is now a crisis.”

Sophia has been approached by religious congregations who are providing lands and buildings which are being developed into homes for people who have experienced homelessness across the midlands.

Two projects in Portlaoise and Portarlington are in advance stages of pre-development, and the project in Portlaoise is due to go to tender this year.

Other sites, such as the Franciscan Brothers in Clara, have yet to get approval from the government to move forward.

Midlands Simon Community

Founded in 2003 by local volunteers who were concerned about homelessness in the midlands counties of Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath, Midlands Simon Community have built a reputation for being a provider of safe and quality focused services to people experiencing homelessness.

Like Sophia, their primary focus is to help people exit homeless as quickly as possible and to offer compassionate and caring services that recognise that people not only need a home but also need support to progress out of homelessness.

Midlands Simon Community are supporting over 150 people at any one time and have a strong voluntary network of supporters, the support of the business community, and of various civic groupings, without which they couldn’t meet the needs of the people they support.

Sophia Housing Association

Founded in 1997 by Sr Jean Quinn, of the Daughters of Wisdom, Sophia believe that the solution to homelessness is not just the provision of a bed for the night through the provision of shelter - rather they believe services should aim to help people to have a home of their own and that supports should be provided to enable people to maintain their new home.

The phrase that best sums up Sophia’s mission is 'Providing Homes Supporting People' as through that model Sophia supports more than 1000 people across Ireland each year and own and manage some 350 homes across the state.

Collaboration between Midlands Simon Community and Sophia

Midlands Simon Community and Sophia entered into a formal collaboration in 2016; the collaboration has been affirmed by the Regulation Office for Approved Housing Bodies.

While the organisations remain as separate legal entries with separate boards, they have made major inroads in terms of sharing resources and reducing costs; including the sharing of the post of CEO.

To date by working together the charities have saved over €400,000.