Public awareness of rural homelessness is low, with many people assume the problem only happens in towns and cities.
That’s according to Jim Dennison, chief executive of the Simon Community, which recently benefitted from help with its Christmas hamper initiative from Northern Ireland Water volunteers.
This narrative on homelessness is amplified as that is how the issue is depicted in the media, with urban areas having a higher density of visible rough sleepers, Dennison said.
“But we at Simon Community know that homelessness is felt in rural Ireland too. Across Northern Ireland 62,314 are currently officially homeless,” he explained.
Rural homelessness
“There are unique barriers in rural communities in accessing support.
“Services are limited due to lack of availability in the area and transport options to get to the nearest support can be very poor, time consuming and expensive to access.
“People in rural areas can feel isolated and be reluctant to seek support, which means problems often go unaddressed for longer.”
Rural areas, the chief executive added, are also impacted by the increasing lack of affordable available rural housing, especially in the private rental sector.
“Social housing is scarce and low turnover means people have very few options when they lose their home,” Dennison said.
“Homelessness isn’t just a city centre issue. It’s happening in every town and every postcode.”
For people in rural communities, according to Dennison, the choices are “often impossible”.
“When local services don’t exist, they’re forced to leave the places they know best, moving into larger towns and cities to access the support they desperately need,” he explained.
“That means leaving behind family, friends and the connections that make life feel secure.
“We urgently need investment across Northern Ireland to make sure people can move out of homelessness as quickly as possible and stay in the communities they call home.”
NI Water assisted Simon Community in a number of ways, including through a colleague appeal which resulted in 950 selection boxes being donated.
A team were then sent to assist in packing the hampers for those who need them most across Northern Ireland.
Cares Challenge
The volunteering day is part of NI Water’s ‘Cares Challenge’ project, which has been operating successfully for over 10 years and is one of the largest corporate volunteering schemes in Northern Ireland.
To date, over 1,700 staff have volunteered in over 120 challenges, equating to more than 12,000 hours of volunteering to help support communities across Northern Ireland.
In the latest project, volunteers from across the organisation made a valuable contribution to the Simon Community.
Karen Finlay, Cares Challenge volunteer from NI Water, said she really enjoyed the day.
She said: “We made a big difference for the charity through our selection box donations and hamper packing.
“It’s a great opportunity to do some good while mixing with colleagues.”
As part of the programme, activities are planned for various groups throughout Northern Ireland every year and are set up in partnership with Business in the Community’s NI Cares programme.
The programme identifies organisations and charities within the local community that need a helping hand with physical tasks such as gardening and painting.
Rose Kelly, director of people and learning at NI Water, said that their handy helpers have undertaken everything from gardening to painting and maintenance to environmental and fundraising days.
“It is often the extra support that these groups require to enhance their facilities, improve the lives of their members and operate their centres successfully,” she said.
“Volunteering has also proved to be a key part of our health and wellbeing toolkit.
“Our teams gain so much from the experience, not only by helping the community, but also having the chance to spend time with colleagues from around the business that they might not otherwise have a chance to meet.”
