Dundalk Simon Community Responds to North-East Homelessness Figures for April 2020

• 140 people accessed emergency accommodation in Louth, Cavan & Monaghan in April 2020
• Homelessness in North East down by 39% since peak of 228 in July 2019

Louth, Cavan & Monaghan, 4 June 2020: Dundalk 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,

• 140 people accessed emergency accommodation in the “North-East” region in April 2020
• The figure represents a 39% decrease from the peak of 228 in July 2019, and the continued decline in homelessness in the North East region

Commenting on the April 2020 homelessness figures for Louth, Cavan & Monaghan CEO, Sam McGuinness said:

“We warmly welcome the ongoing reduction of the number of people in emergency accommodation in Louth, Cavan & Monaghan. The continuing decrease in homelessness in the region is a direct result of the great teamwork from all agencies, 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 Visiting Support teams in Louth, Cavan & Monaghan helped 66 families and individuals in the North East to stay in their homes or settle into new ones in April. We also supported 30 individuals at our emergency accommodation in Dundalk and assisted 16 individuals to progress to housing.

 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.”

ENDS