More Stories

‘Robert’, a young man in his early 20s, was recently released from Maghaberry Prison. After another period of ‘sofa surfing’ and staying in hostel accommodation, Robert has now moved into a private rental, due to the help and support he received from a local youth organisation. Robert claimed that he was literally given taxi fare to Belfast and arrived in the city in the midst of the pandemic and lockdown.

Paul, now aged 32, was bullied throughout primary school. Moving to secondary school, he soon found out that the same bully had followed suit, continuing to torment him throughout his adolescence and causing fear, anxiety and an overwhelming feeling of isolation. Unable to talk to anyone, Paul began considering taking his own life at the age of 16 but a love of his family persuaded him not to carry through with his plans.

Amy, a young woman in her early 20s, is optimistic about her future as she talks about enrolling in University and building a home for her and her daughter. Having recently started a new job supporting young people at risk of becoming homeless, Amy is determined to affect change in housing policy, and in the lives of those who are heading down a path of ‘chronic homelessness and instability,’ a path that she knows all too well.

Roger is now in his mid-70s and settled in his own apartment in Belfast after a tumultuous few years. He lived with his wife and step-daughter but shortly after his 70th birthday his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She became physically and mentally abusive towards Roger whose family knew nothing about what he was going through. Roger has since realised that the abuse had been ongoing throughout their marriage, and he just hadn’t acknowledged it. Roger has three children and five grandchildren from a previous marriage, but his second wife refused to allow him to see his family. Consequently, he had spent years sneaking out to celebrate things like Christmas and his grandchildren’s birthdays. Roger admits he was careless with his money and all his money went into his wife’s bank account and she would give him a weekly allowance to spend.

Margaret’s’ story illustrates what can happen in the more extreme cases of landlord exploitation in the private rented sector, wherein despite having a roof over one’s head, one may still feel without a home.

Meet Justin, a 23-year-old originally from Enniskillen, now residing in Simon Community’s Lisburn Accommodation Services since April 2024.

This year on Father’s Day John, from Omagh is spending time of reflecting on his journey with Simon Community. It has been one of transformation, not only for him but for his relationship with his children.

Amy’s journey with Simon Community began when she was just 18 years old, where she transitioned to our Housing First for Youth service following four challenging years in a hospital for young people with significant mental health issues. The move from the hospital to independent living was daunting, Amy described her time in the hospital as “really hard and sometimes quite lonely,“ but she knew the support she received there was essential for her progress.

Dean was a young teenager when he entered the care system. He spent 5 years in care before becoming homeless at 18.