Galway Simon Community has launched its 2022 Annual Impact Report, highlighting the continuing demand on its services during another very challenging year, but remaining very concerned about the state of the housing crisis as we enter another winter.
In 2022 the charity supported 1,401 individuals and saw an increase of 25% in the number of households supported compared to 2020. With the ongoing and deepening housing crisis, Galway Simon Community is very concerned about what lies in store this coming Winter.
Launching Galway Simon’s 2022 Annual Impact Report, Hildegarde Naughton, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and at the Department of Health said addressing homelessness seen in recent times remains a key priority for Government.
“Increasing social housing and residential housing supply is central to eradicating homelessness. State investment of over €4 billion a year in housing is being targeted at increasing supply and the Housing for All plan is beginning to take root and deliver improvements.
“Organisations such as Galway Simon Community provide a crucial service to those in housing insecurity or homelessness. I have seen at first hand the dedication and commitment of the teams in Galway Simon and I am delighted to formally acknowledge and thank them for their work by launching the 2022 Annual Impact Report,” she added.
Evolving
Galway Simon Community’s CEO Karen Golden talked about the number of people supported and how Galway Simon is evolving its services to meet the needs of those turning to the charity for help.
“In 2022, we saw continued demand for our Homelessness Prevention and Housing Services, with 810 unique households, including 225 families with 476 children, supported by Galway Simon Community.
“The number of people experiencing or in danger of becoming homeless are putting ever increasing strains on our teams and resources, and we continue to do all that we can to support people for as long as they need us.
“The ability of our staff and volunteer teams to innovate and adapt to ever-changing demands, along with their unwavering commitment to provide support to vulnerable people, makes their work deeply impactful in our community,” she added.
“In 2022 we launched our Social Integration Service in response to the social isolation experienced by some of the people we support which was exacerbated by the Covid-19 lockdowns. The Service provides activities that create opportunities for people to get involved, gain skills and the confidence to participate in their local community.
“The Service also supports clients to access training, education and employment. In 2022 there were 760 engagements with the Social Integration activities including the Galway Simon’s allotment, the Galway Simon Choir, Galway Simon’s Soccer Training and one to one coaching sessions.”
“In 2022 we also extended our Health and Wellbeing Services for very vulnerable clients in the West. We now support people with GP, Nursing, Addiction & Substance Misuse Counselling Services, Community Detox Services, Psychology and Occupational Therapy Services. During the year 334 clients were supported with 5,229 interventions,” Karen Golden explained.
Demand outstrips supply
While Karen welcomed the 466 social homes delivered across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon in 2022, she highlighted that demand continues to far outstrip supply with 3,798 households on the most recent social housing needs assessments in the region.
She also highlighted that as rents continue to increase and more landlords are exiting the rental market, there are fewer properties available to rent. The deepening housing crisis is further compounded by the increase in the cost of living. More people, many of whom would never have seen themselves accessing Homeless Services, are turning to Galway Simon for support.
During the launch Karen Golden acknowledged the incredible support that was provided by the charity’s funders, donors and supporters in 2022. She also thanked all of the volunteers who made such an extraordinary contribution to Galway Simon Community’s work during the year and who are an integral part of the Community.
In closing out the 2022 Annual Impact Report launch, in highlighting the scale of the deepening crisis, she said that while they welcome the supports that have been put in place to date, they need to see higher numbers of new social and affordable housing units delivered in the West in order to address the housing and homelessness crisis.
The private rental market is not meeting the needs of many people, in particular those who are relying on Housing Assistance Payment (HAP ). Many people are having to choose between everyday necessities like food, heat and electricity and paying their rent. Our frontline services are anticipating an even further increase in homelessness over the coming months and there is deep concern among Galway Simon’s teams about the Winter ahead”.
“Galway Simon Community will continue to support people coming to us in crisis through our Prevention Services and by supporting people to find pathways out of homelessness. In 2022, of those who engaged with our Prevention Services, 95% did not access Emergency Accommodation. “We know that Prevention Services greatly reduce the trauma experienced by those affected by homelessness, and prevention is a much more cost- effective solution to homelessness than covering the escalating costs of Emergency Accommodation in hostels, hotels and B&Bs,” she concluded.
To download Galway Simon Community’s 2022 Annual Impact Report, visit their website www.galwaysimon.ie
