Dublin Simon Community prevents more than 1,300 households from going into emergency accommodation in 2017
More than 1,300 households were supported by the Dublin Simon Community last year which prevented them from having to go into emergency accommodation, according to the group's annual report.
They delivered housing, health and support services to over 6,200 people in Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare and Meath last year.
That is a 22% increase overall on the previous year.
They also managed to resettle 1,006 adults and 1,028 children out of homelessness and into homes - a 35% increase on the previous year, while its teams also worked with 631 adults and 449 children to prevent them from losing their home, and the group provided treatment services to 694 people - a 24% increase on 2016.
They also reported a 37% increase in bed capacity, with the provision of an additional 42 emergency beds.
Some 1,533 people were provided with housing assistance, harm reduction and medical services by the charity's Rough Sleeper Team, while 354,490 meals were provided across residential services - an increase of 42% since 2016.
Some 6,192 food parcels - including cereal, tinned and dried food and fruit and vegetable - were distributed.
Sam McGuinness, CEO of the Dublin Simon Community, said the organisation has been working to move people out of homelessness, while also preventing more from becoming homeless in the first place.
"In 2017 and into this year, we have continued to work at an accelerated pace. Our homelessness prevention, sustainment and resettlement teams worked tirelessly to keep more people in homes.
"Without this work, 1,637 adults and 1,477 children (1,373 households/3,114 people) would be otherwise reliant on emergency accommodation."
He also said that housing alone is not the only answer.
"As this crisis advances, there continues to be a surge in people who desperately need help with housing.
"In 2017 we also focused on the provision of housing to turn into homes and move people off the streets and out of unstable temporary accommodation.
"In order for this work to continue, additional housing must be delivered at a more accelerated rate.
"We are encouraged by the ongoing cooperation and interagency working amongst approved housing bodies, local authorities, Government departments and other service providers, which we believe is essential to meet this challenge head-on."
