Simon report 33 per cent increase in Waterford service use
Waterford’s primary homeless support agency has recorded an alarming 33 per cent increase in the number of people availing of its services. According to its recently finalised 2012 review, the South East Simon Community supported 259 adults who accessed their services, along with 168 children.
Speaking to The Munster Express, Simon Community Fundraiser Eimear Fleming detailed the alarming increase which she said is “much larger” than traditional year on year increases
“Since 2009, the numbers have increased incrementally but not as big as that,” said Ms Fleming, who added that the majority of those using the services came from the Waterford city area. She said “the changing face of homelessness” was one of the main factors behind the increase as more and more people from different sectors of society find themselves struggling with financial issues.
“People have such varied needs. A lot of the people we work with now are people that never thought they would need help and don’t know their entitlements,” she said.