
Billy (Client) — Covid-19: From Lockdown to Breakout
“In these dark times, there was always a shining light looking over me. That light was Galway Simon.”
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is an incredibly difficult time for all of us. But even during these challenging times, our work at Galway Simon Community never stops. There has never been a more pressing time in our community to stand together with our most vulnerable. We have an incredibly dedicated team of frontline staff and volunteers, who continue to work tirelessly to protect those in our care and to prevent them from becoming homeless. Keep updated here with Galway Simon’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. As we continue to face challenges in providing supports to some of the most vulnerable people in our community, for those at risk of, or experiencing homelessness, Coronavirus is a crisis on top of a crisis. Many of those we support have serious underlying medical issues and are even more vulnerable at this time. In recent weeks, our entire team has come together to put additional measures in place to keep our clients, staff and volunteers safe. Thankfully, to date, Galway Simon is free of the Coronavirus. This is a reflection of the huge effort that has been made across our services in relation to the infection control protocols put in place. As we share with you some stories from our frontline services, I would like to remind you that we are here for our community. If you yourself, or anyone you know, is facing homelessness, please reach out to us. Together we can make sure that nobody is left to face this crisis alone. Karen Golden, CEO of Galway Simon Community “In these dark times, there was always a shining light looking over me. That light was Galway Simon.” “Most people have their own house where they can shelter and self-isolate to prevent Covid-19, they can cocoon if they need to and they can do it themselves on their own terms. But for those experiencing homelessness, this is a luxury they just don’t have.” “It can be very lonely if you’re only seeing someone during the week for maybe 15 minutes, that can be very isolating and scary.” It’s very hard for somebody to be positive when everything that’s made them safe in the world is gone”. “For a lot of our clients, they’re used to being isolated. One man told me “sure I’ve been doing this my whole life, nobody has ever wanted to come near me”. “I knew there was really nothing I could do there and Galway Simon needed people, so I decided that I was more useful here in Galway.” “I knew there was really nothing I could do there and Galway Simon needed people, so I decided that I was more useful here in Galway.” PROTECTING THOSE FACING HOMELESSNESS DURING COVID-19
Our Time to Stand Together
Hear from our Frontline Services
Billy (Client) — Covid-19: From Lockdown to Breakout
Peter Stapleton — Covid-19 on the frontline of Homeless Services
Fiona Thornton — Covid 19 on the frontline of Health and Wellbeing Services
Elsa Edwardson — Covid-19 and Preventing Homelessness
Olive Keane — Covid-19 on the frontline of Housing Services
Covid-19 on the frontline of Homelessness Prevention Services
Antonio Lopez — Covid-19 Away from Home