Introduction
The Simon Communities work with over 7,500 people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness each year. We are now over half way through 2016 and the numbers continue to grow; with the numbers entering homelessness greater than the numbers exiting. This housing and homeless crisis is impacting every region and community around the country. It is a nationwide crisis, more acute in our urban centres but certainly present in our rural areas too. The number of people trapped in emergency accommodation has continued to grow in the first seven months of 2016. During one week in July 2016 (latest available figures), there were 6,525 men, women and children in emergency accommodation across the country; a 40% increase from July 2015. This included 2,667 adults with no dependents in their care and 1,130 families made up of 1,510 adults and 2,348 children1.
