Fresh start as Minister launches new Athlone homeless service

"Since moving to Slí, I've experienced independence for the first time in my life. I love my flat... In my opinion they have saved my life,". A moving account of a client of the Midland Simon Community's new housing with support scheme, Slí Nua, read out at the launch of the new homeless service in Athlone last week. Having earlier in the day toured the development and met residents, Housing Minister Jan O'Sullivan officially opened the new service in the Sheraton Hotel which provides seven single formerly homeless people with self-contained accommodation in seven apartments in Irishtown, Athlone. There are a range of dedicated supports from staff and volunteers provided to ensure people are able to maintain and sustain their tenancies. The project, an inter-agency collaboration between the Midland Simon Community, Athlone Town Council, and the HSE, funded by the Department of the Environment is designed to assist people back into permanent accommodation. The units have been leased from the developer of the development at a reduced rate. Introducing proceedings, Chairperson of the Midland Simon Community Cormac Lally described Slí Nua, which means a new way, as an important step forward in the services the organisation provides and with support it shows that people can move out of homelessness. Peter McEvoy, Community Services Manager of the HSE emphasised the value of the partnership approach with the Midlands Simon Community which is he said is "invaluable" and he hopes there will be many more initiatives like this one. "Midland Simon refer clients to the HSE who need health and we do vice versa and we work to try and get the best outcome," Mr McEvoy said. Welcoming the introduction of the new service, Mayor Alan Shaw commented that the homeless can be among the most vulnerable and lonely people in society suffering extreme hardship and pain, but thanks to the work of the Midland Simon Community, their predicament now has heightened public awareness and they are a housing priority at national and local level. He said rough sleeping is the visible and extreme side of homelessness. This is what most of the public think of when they hear the word homeless but there can be thousands of individuals and families who are homeless and living in emergency accommodation. "Being homeless is more than about being without a roof over your head it's about a lack of security, lack of belonging, lack of privacy and lack of safety," he said, adding that Simon are making a real difference to end this situation and provide value for money. Explaining the background to the project, Key worker in Slí Nua Ruth Keane said the service began in early 2011 and is available to single people, aged 18 and over. Some clients who present to the Midlands Simon Community for support need a more intensive support than can be provided by either Emergency Accommodation or the Regional Settlement Service, she said, adding that it gives each person their own home as well as access to supports like practical help with bills, cooking, maintaining their home, health skills through regular contact with trained volunteers and staff. Speaking at the launch Mr. Tony O'Riordan, CEO of the Midland Community stated that today's launch challenged the stereotypical image of homelessness where people were often wrongly portrayed as not willing or capable of changing their lives. What it shows today is that if barriers are removed and support is there, they can change their lives. "Our residents are the real heroes of today. The people who use our service did not choose poverty or exclusion," Mr O'Riordan said, adding that by commitment and courage they have torn up the failed image of people on the margins. "They are people of dignity. The message from today is that if we work together people can get out of homelessness," he stressed, praising the work of the board, volunteers, staff and agencies in this regard. Praising the work of the organisation, Minister Jan O'Sullivan said the work of the Midland Simon Community and Slí Nua is about the basic right of everybody to have a home, and this "highly effective" project provides the support needed for that home. "What we want to do is move people on when they are ready and for them not to be stuck in emergency accommodation," she commented, stressing that this model is very effective and is something she'd like to see introduced in other areas of the country. "I couldn't praise you highly enough. It's an excellent example of the voluntary sector working with the State to give people a home," she concluded, vowing to keep homelessness at the top of the agenda. €50 million funding for homelessness will be maintained this year.