Galway Simon reflects on impact of ‘a year like no other’

Despite concerns that homeless people would die in the pandemic as had happened in other urban centres, Galway Simon managed to ensure there was no outbreak among clients and staff last year – even with an 85 per cent decrease in volunteers.

A year like no other was how CEO Karen Golden summed up 2020 at the launch of their annual report this week.

“How can you follow public health advice to stay at home, when you have no home?” she asked those who logged on for the virtual launch.

The charity helped 646 households in the first year of the lockdown, made up of 192 families with 464 children across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon – similar to numbers in 2019.

Within days of the lockdown, the organisation had appointed a rapid emergency response team to work out how best to protect clients, staff and volunteers. They created spaces for clients who had to cocoon and self-isolate and for all to socially distance, something that was very hard to manage in communal emergency accommodation.

They used baby monitors to oversee some clients so that staff wouldn’t have to put themselves at risk by entering enclosed spaces.

“We found that, with the pressures of the pandemic, some people’s support needs became more complex. But the response across our entire community was extraordinary, as our staff and volunteers worked extremely hard to protect both the physical and mental wellbeing of our clients,” she told the Connacht Tribune.

“We worked very closely with our colleagues in other agencies, including the HSE and Galway City Council, to ensure a comprehensive response to the pandemic for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the west.

“While some major cities across the world saw significant outbreaks of Covid among their homeless populations, thanks to the enormous team effort across our community we had no outbreak within Galway Simon services.”

One client contracted Covid, and one staff member tested positive but there was no cross-transmission within the services.

“Our frontline staff continued to support our clients every single day throughout the pandemic.  For some of our clients, the only person they saw during the lockdowns was their Galway Simon keyworker.”

Staff undertook food shopping and dropped off hampers for those experiencing food poverty and brought people to medical appointments. They helped some with addiction issues to attend AA meetings to continue with sobriety.

With their two charity shops shut, fundraising had to be reimagined in 56 virtual events, raising €1.17 million, down €100,000 on the year before. That year the Galway Simon Community benefited from the work of 450 volunteers – their number dropped to 66 people due to the restrictions and concerns about safety.

Offers from members of the public to volunteer had to be turned down.

This second year of Covid-19 restrictions has already seen a significant rise in demand for services. From January to August, Galway Simon have supported 669 households, a 28% increase compared to the same period last year. The biggest increase has been across their Homelessness Prevention Services which has had a 32% increase.

“We are very concerned about the winter months ahead. With the lifting of the moratorium on evictions and other supports, and the homelessness crisis and Covid very much still with us, we anticipate that the numbers coming to us for help will continue to increase.”