On International Women’s Day 2024, Galway Simon Community is raising awareness about the impact of homelessness on women in our community. 43% of adults accessing Emergency Accommodation in the West are women, as revealed in the latest homeless figures released by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.
In 2019 Galway Simon set up a dedicated Women & Families Service to provide specialised supports to women and their families affected by homelessness. Galway Simon Community supported over 400 women in 2023.
The charity works with women to prevent them from experiencing the trauma of homelessness, to help them to access secure affordable housing and to continue to live as part of their local community.
The charity also provides a specialist service to exceptionally vulnerable and marginalised women where the focus is on having a safe home, supporting health and wellbeing recovery, and reconnecting with society using a trauma informed approach.
Mary and her daughters were homeless but through Galway Simon’s Women and Family Service they secured accommodation.
Mary said “I don’t have to have any more worries that we could be homeless again. My kids are so happy because they feel safe.
“In the past three years the service has shown me that I don’t have to feel afraid about any situation because I will never be alone.”
Carmel is also a client of the Women’s and Family Service and was without a home, following the death of her husband.
After being referred to Galway Simon she was placed in a shared women’s home where she lived for several years.
More recently Galway Simon supported Carmel to move into her own apartment. “Only for Galway Simon I don’t think I would be around today…. The home I have now is no one else’s, it’s mine, which going back seven years ago I didn’t have that, I didn’t have a door to close, I didn’t have a bed to sleep in, I was sleeping from couch to couch and now I have a lovely apartment.”
Carmel’s advice to women who find themselves in a similar situation is “Get in contact with Simon…..You have to reach out to get help, it is there and they will help, they’re very good people.”
Karen Golden, CEO of Galway Simon Community, said this week that the Housing and Homelessness crisis is impacting on women with a record 180 women living in Emergency Accommodation across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon at the end of January, — a 19% increase in the last year.
“Homelessness is often associated with men and existing services primarily cater to the needs of homeless men. This leaves many women ‘trapped’ in an emergency response system that inadequately addresses their housing and support requirements.
“There are also women in ‘hidden homelessness’ situations, living temporarily with family, friends or couch surfing. This contributes to undercounting of the true number of women experiencing homelessness,” said Ms Golden.
“For some women we support, the issue they are facing is the lack of affordable housing. When our Prevention Services can help them to either retain the accommodation they have or find alternative housing and avoid the trauma of Emergency Accommodation, they have no further need of our Services.
“For others, there is sadly a strong link between domestic violence or abuse and homelessness among women. We also see that women’s experiences of homelessness are largely influenced by high rates of adverse childhood experiences. For women with more complex needs, we provide a higher level of support and we are here for as long as we are needed,” she added.
