The eight Simon Communities are:
Galway Simon Community
10 Montpellier Terrace
The Crescent
Galway
T: 091 589 415
F: 091 582 811
E: admin@galwaysimon.ie
W: www.galwaysimon.ie
Galway Simon Community has been providing homeless services and accommodation in the West of Ireland since 1979. We specialise in providing a continuum of care and accommodation which supports and empowers people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. We do this by providing shared supported accommodation with 24/7 cover, by providing shared accommodation with peripatetic support and by providing a tenancy sustainment service to people who have moved on to their own accommodation. This latter accommodation is provided by Galway Simon Community and Simon Communities of Ireland CAS apartments, by Galway City Council apartments and houses, by lettings from Housing Associations and in the private rented sector. In addition, we have a residential Resettlement Service which enables and supports people to address the issues which have previously not permitted them to have get and retain accommodation.
Services are provided to both men and women aged 18 and over and are accessed by referrals from a broad range of statutory and voluntary organisations and by self and family referral.
Currently we provide shared supported accommodation to 40 people, 6 people at any one-time avail of our Resettlement services and in excess of 30 are provided with a Tenancy Sustainment Service.
Galway Simon Community has set up a Service Users Forum and currently has a working group comprising, service users, volunteers, board members and staff to examine service user participation in all aspects of the organisation.
Galway Simon Community shop is the location for a work project as well as providing funding towards the provision of services. In addition to this we are researching the viability of an organic gardening project in partnership with other organisations in the city.
The community aspect of Galway Simon’s work is vitally important providing as it does social facilities and occasions for service users and volunteers. Activities here include holidays, day trips to places of local and national interest, visits to cinemas and theatres, a football team, an artist in residence scheme, a community newsletter and many more seasonal celebrations.
We have a staff team of 29 and more than 30 full and part time volunteers. We work with approximately 100 people per year.