No child should wake up homeless on Christmas morning. But this year over 5,000 children will be spending Christmas in temporary accommodation.
Simon Community launches its 2024 Christmas Appeal and this year we are asking people to send a gift of £30 to support families facing homelessness.
'You never think it will happen to you. The day I found out I was being evicted started out like any other. I was making breakfast for my two-year-old son Matthew when I heard a noise and looked out the window. An estate agent was banging a sign into the ground outside my home. For sale, it said.'
When Emma and Matthew first came to Simon Community, they had recently been made homeless because their landlord had put their home up for sale. After weeks of sofa surfing with friends and family, Emma had run out of options and she made a heartbreaking call to the Housing Executive.
They were offered temporary accommodation with Simon Community after a short but very challenging stay in a hotel.
“It may sound luxurious, but being stuck in a single room trying to keep a toddler entertained was incredibly tough.”, Emma said.
When Emma was offered a place at Simon Community's temporary accommodation site Conway Court she was very frightened having never been in this situation before.
"I was so scared I’d lose my independence that I burst into tears. I didn’t realise then that it was the lifeline I needed. That Simon Community could help me find my way out of homelessness."
After settling in temporary accommodation, Simon Community began helping Emma get the support she needs to make an application for social housing. This is Emma and Matthew's second Christmas in temporary accommodation and they are so hopeful that by next Christmas they will have been offered a permanent place to call home.
For far too many families in Northern Ireland the threat of homelessness is all too real. With your support Simon Community can offer stability and a safety net to families facing or experiencing homelessness.
By donating this Christmas, you can help families like Emma and Matthew start their journey out of homelessness today. Click here to donate.
Emma and Matthew's story is the real experience of a family living in Simon Community temporary accommodation, but their names have been changed to protect their identity.