Dublin Simon Community

Dublin Simon Community is an organisation that works with people who are experiencing homelessness across Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and the surrounding counties. 2019 marked 50 years of Dublin Simon Community working towards preventing and addressing homelessness with the overall aim of empowering people to access and retain a home of their own. Dublin Simon works with people at all stages of homelessness in order to support them to move out of homelessness, to a place they can call home. The organisation was founded by a group of Trinity College and University College Dublin Students in 1969. These students offered soup and sandwiches to people who were sleeping on the streets of Dublin. This service still operates today, with part-time volunteers going out on the soup run 365 evenings of the year. We have various services across the organization which include, emergency services, housing services, resettlement services and treatment services. Our objectives include developing innovative service models to empower those who use our services. Our vision is to make "home a reality" and our values include community, respect and empowerment, excellence and innovation and accountability and integrity. The Community is made up of staff, volunteers, donors and funders who all work together to advocate and provide services for those who are affected by poverty and marginalized by society. While often members of staff or clients come from diverse backgrounds hosting ESC volunteers brings an additional European dimension and this provides opportunities for non formal learning for all staff, clients and volunteers alike.