Simon Community in the Mid East Region Responds to Homelessness Figures for April 2020

• 503 people accessed emergency accommodation in Kildare, Wicklow & Meath in April 2020
• Charity identifies growing importance of homelessness prevention and warns against “waterfall” as economy begins to re-open

Kildare, Wicklow & Meath 4 June 2020: The Simon Community welcomes the publication of the April 2020 Homelessness Report, released today by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

According to the April report,

• 503 people including children accessed emergency accommodation in the “Mid-East” region in April 2020
• <1% increase in homelessness in the Mid-East since March, which represents a curbing of the growth the region had experienced since the start of 2020

Commenting on the April 2020 homelessness figures for Kildare, Wicklow & Meath. CEO, Sam McGuinness said:

“We warmly welcome the curbed growth in the number of people in emergency accommodation in Kildare, Wicklow and Meath in April 2020. The recent growth in homelessness has slowed thanks to the targeted response and collaboration from all agencies, Local Authorities and NGOs involved.

 From the outset of this Covid-19 crisis, teams from across the sector – ourselves, Safetynet, Focus, De Paul, Crosscare and other NGO partners – have rallied together and done great work in the face of extraordinarily challenging conditions. Our own Tenancy Support teams in Kildare, Wicklow and Meath helped 133 families and individuals to remain in their homes during April 2020. Collectively across the three counties we are providing 80 families and individuals with their own homes.

 Our key area of focus and ‘mission critical’ for us and  for the foreseeable future is homelessness prevention. As we have seen over the last few months, great work has been done by all involved to stem the flow into homelessness. Now, as we begin to relax emergency measures and re-open the economy, we simply cannot allow a waterfall to happen. As we take our first steps back into a new kind of normal, we must be conscious of those who have lost jobs, struggling to pay rent, or whose financial situation has been decimated by this pandemic. These people are among the most vulnerable in our society right now and cannot be left behind in this new world.”