Galway Simon Community has launched its 2025 Annual Impact Report, highlighting the growing importance of health, wellbeing and social integration services in helping people move beyond homelessness. The report comes at a time when homelessness in Ireland has reached record levels, with more people than ever relying on emergency accommodation.
While the shortage of affordable housing remains at the heart of the crisis, Galway Simon says the solution extends far beyond simply providing a roof over someone’s head. The charity warns that many people experiencing homelessness are also living with poor physical health, untreated mental illness, addiction, trauma and social isolation – challenges that can make it difficult to secure and sustain a tenancy without the right supports.
Launching the report, Galway Simon CEO Dr. Carol Baumann said the organisation continues to operate in an increasingly difficult housing environment, where rising rents, a lack of affordable homes and limited housing supply are placing enormous pressure on vulnerable individuals and families, as well as the frontline staff working to support them.
“We launch this report in the context of the ongoing shortage of affordable accommodation that continues to place profound pressure on families and individuals across our community,” she said. “Persistent shortages in housing delivery, unrelenting rent increases and the erosion of affordability within the private rented sector have combined to make both securing and sustaining a home increasingly out of reach for those most vulnerable among us.”
Despite these challenges, Dr. Baumann said 2025 had also been a year of significant achievement for the organisation.
“Even against these formidable challenges, 2025 marked a year of meaningful progress and significant milestones. It stands as a testament to the resilience, dedication and compassion that define Galway Simon at its strongest, a reminder that together we can continue to protect those at risk of homelessness and uphold the dignity and security every person deserves.”
The report places particular emphasis on Galway Simon’s Health & Wellbeing and Social Integration Services, which together supported more than 700 people during 2025 and delivered over 10,000 individual interventions. These ranged from counselling, crisis mental health support and medical advocacy to addiction recovery pathways, education, employment supports and programmes designed to help people reconnect with their communities.
According to the report, these services play a crucial role in helping people maintain their tenancies, improve their physical and mental wellbeing and reduce their reliance on emergency accommodation and other crisis services.
Whole-person approach
Karen Feeney, Head of Client Services at Galway Simon, said the findings reinforce the need for a whole-person approach to tackling homelessness.
“A home is vital, but it is only the first step,” she said. “Without addressing the underlying health and social challenges people face, we risk trapping individuals in a cycle of crisis. Our Health and Wellbeing and Social Integration Services are critical parts of breaking that cycle.”
The report reveals that Galway Simon’s Health & Wellbeing Service supported 623 clients during the year, helping people manage mental health difficulties, addiction, chronic illness and trauma recovery. It also found that people who engaged with these services were significantly more likely to sustain long-term housing, while demand for health-led interventions more than doubled, reflecting the increasing complexity of homelessness. The Social Integration Service also helped more people progress into education, training and employment.
Keynote speaker at the report launch, Professor Brendan Kelly of Trinity College Dublin, said housing alone cannot address the complex realities faced by many people experiencing homelessness.
“A home is the foundation for recovery, but it is rarely the whole solution,” he said. “For many people experiencing homelessness, the experience of trauma, psychological distress, addiction, poor physical health and social isolation does not disappear when a tenancy begins. Mental health support, trauma-informed care, addiction services and meaningful social connection are essential, not optional. They help people sustain a home, rebuild confidence, restore dignity and move towards a more stable, hopeful life.”
Galway Simon is now calling for greater investment in homelessness prevention, community-based health services, social and affordable housing, and long-term recovery pathways. The organisation believes a prevention-focused national strategy that recognises the complexity of homelessness is essential if Ireland is to reduce its reliance on emergency accommodation and deliver sustainable exits from homelessness.
