The Simon Communities History
The Simon Community was originally founded by Anton Wallich-Clifford, a probation officer working in London in the fifties and sixties, who noticed that many of people he worked with had one common factor; several of the names were followed by three simple letters, NFA – No Fixed Abode. Behind these letters lay a complex and overlooked deeper social issue: homelessness.
In 1969, Anton Wallich-Clifford came to Ireland to recruit volunteers to work with the many Irish homeless people he was meeting in England. Through his inspiration and through meeting like-minded people, the first Simon Community was established in Dublin in that year.
Today, there are eight Simon Communities around Ireland and together we provide a support network to over 16,700 people experiencing homelessness.