The Simon Community is a charity which helps homeless people, taking its name from Simon of Cyrene.[1] It was founded in 1963 by Anton Wallich-Clifford,[2] who had encountered many homeless people while working for the Probation Service at Bow Street Magistrates' Court in London. Wallich-Clifford was influenced by the work of Dorothy Day and her Catholic Worker Movement in the US, and his original vision was to establish a farm and community in Sussex. However, local protests prevented this and the organisation developed as a chain of houses and night shelters run by local volunteers. The Simon Community was co-founded by political activist Eddie Linden.[3]
A trust was established to manage the affairs of the charity but its administration was weak.[4] Attempts were made to transform the organisation into a decentralised federation of homelessness bodies: the Cyrenian Federation and Homes for Homeless People.[1]
Anton Wallich-Clifford died in 1978, but the original community continues where it is based and active in London.[4]
Ireland
editIn Ireland, the Simon Communities were founded by a group of Trinity College and University College Dublin students in 1969.[5] It now operates all over Ireland, but particularly in Cork, Dublin, Dundalk and Galway.[6] These organisations partly (about 50%) fund themselves by hosting a number of charity initiatives and events such as the Dublin Fun Run.[7] The remainder of funding comes from service contracts with government to provide homeless housing. In 2009, Dublin Simon celebrated its 40th anniversary.[8]
See also
edit- St Mungo's - a large charity for the homeless founded by a Simon Community volunteer.
- Museum of Homelessness
References
edit- ^ a b "Why one charity broke away from the Cyrenians". Third Sector. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
- ^ "Introduction". The Simon Community. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
- ^ Cooney, John (13 May 2015). "Happy 80th birthday, Eddie Linden, poet, pacifist and Catholic atheist". Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ a b Roger Courtney (2002), "The Simon Community", Strategic Management for Voluntary Nonprofit Organizations, Routledge, pp. 246–254, ISBN 9780415250238
- ^ "A Living History". Simon Communities in Ireland. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
- ^ "About Simon". Simon Communities in Ireland. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
- ^ "Dublin Simon Fun Run". Dublin Simon Community. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ RTÉ (2009), Dublin Simon Community 40th Anniversary, Dublin Simon Community
External links
edit- The Simon Community
- "The Simon Community, registered charity no. 283938". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
- Simon Communities of Ireland
- "Chapter 46: Simon". Victor Thomas Coughtrey. 2010 [2003]. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- Simon Community Northern Ireland
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