Donors provide €6.3m turnaround for Cork Simon

A Cork charity has successfully cleared all its debts while responding to record levels of homelessness.

Housing and homeless charity Cork Simon Community cleared the shortfall first reported in 2022, despite facing the highest levels of need for its services in its almost 55 years of service.

The financial turnaround was made possible by close to 14,000 donors who contributed €6.3 million to Cork Simon's work.

The news was revealed in the charity’s Annual Impact Report 2024 which was published yesterday.

“After two difficult years of deficits, we managed to clear the shortfall in 2024, highlighting our community’s resilience and commitment to the hundreds of people who rely on us," said Cork Simon’s CEO, Dermot Kavanagh.

“Crucial to achieving this, amidst rapidly increasing costs of service delivery, were our statutory partners and our incredible donors who continued to believe in and support our work, despite cost-of-living pressures hitting everyone.

“Their generosity was truly humbling and made all the difference,” added Mr Kavanagh.

The 2024 report reveals significant increases in homelessness indicators throughout the year with the charity’s emergency shelter on Anderson's Quay accommodating an average of 76 people per night – the highest in the charity’s history.

Long-term homelessness increased by 18% to 79 people having to spend more than six months in Cork Simon’s emergency accommodation. The outreach team met an average of 34 people per night sleeping rough – a 13% increase on 2023. The charity’s Soup Run service served 14,346 hot meals – a 4% increase on the previous year.

James, a Cork Simon service user, shared some of his experiences of homelessness for the Annual Impact Report.

He said: “Rough sleeping; you feel exposed, so yeah, just, the security of a place like this, I mean with the ability to just lock the door – that's huge.

“If I had a euro for every time that a staff member said, ‘James, if you want to chat, you know where we are’. It makes you feel valued, which I suppose in turn makes you more able to value yourself again.”

Dermot Kavanagh described 2024 as one of the Cork Simon’s most demanding years yet.

“We worked flat out to meet the growing need for homeless services in Cork and Kerry, and while the challenges were real, so were the breakthroughs,” he said.

Despite the pressures, Cork Simon continued to make progress in its core mission throughout 2024. The charity helped 49 people to move from homelessness into secure, affordable housing – a 6.5% increase on the previous year. It also saw 75 people diverted from entering emergency accommodation through the community’s shelter diversion programme. Over 250 people with experience of homelessness were supported by Cork Simon to maintain their tenancies, while the charity reached its 100th Housing First tenancy – a significant milestone for the service.

Mr Kavanagh continued: “2024 marked the first full year of our shelter diversion programme, which has not only succeeded in preventing people from having to enter emergency accommodation or sleep rough but has also prevented the trauma and long-term impacts of homelessness.”