The charity Simon Community has stressed West Belfast has the second highest homelessness figures in Northern Ireland
Glen Road Belfast stock image(Image: Justin Kernoghan/Belfast Live)
A residents’ group in West Belfast has planned a peaceful protest against plans to temporarily open a homeless hostel in the area.
The Glen Road Residents Group, which is made up of 15 local residents, has raised a number of concerns regarding the Simon Community’s temporary relocation of its young person’s service to the area while their current home in South Belfast undergoes an essential refurbishment.
The group said they are concerned by “the lack of adequate consideration given to the safeguarding of children and the wider community”, and highlighted the hostel’s close proximity to schools, care homes, nurseries, and family estates.
READ MORE: West Belfast residents raise ‘children’s safeguarding’ concerns about new homeless hostelREAD MORE: Controversial application for homeless centre in Belfast City Centre delayed after Sinn Féin request
Simon Community are planning to rent the site at 210 Glen Road for the next two years while redevelopment of its current site on the Malone Road is undertaken.
The homelessness charity said their young person’s service offers temporary accommodation to 26 young people between the ages of 18 and 25 “who need a safe and stable home to enter the next chapter of their lives”.
Those in the Glen Road Residents Group have stressed they “unequivocally” support homelessness services, applauding the work done by the Simon Community, but said they object to the “specific location” for the charity’s hostel.
The group has organised a peaceful protest which will take place this Wednesday, February 25 at 7pm outside 210 Glen Road. An online petition calling for the hostel to be relocated has amassed just over 340 signatures.
The Simon Community has detailed the current scale of the homelessness crisis in Northern Ireland, with 62,314 people currently homeless, including more than 19,000 children.
They said West Belfast is particularly affected with almost 7,000 people currently experiencing homelessness – the second-highest figure in Northern Ireland.
CEO of the Simon Community, Jim Dennison, said: “We understand that when any new service opens this can naturally raise questions and concerns. We want to reassure local residents, parents and the wider community that this particular service has operated successfully in South Belfast for over 20 years, right beside Methodist College, with an excellent record of safety and positive neighbour relations.
“For the past six months we have been exploring Glen Road as a possible new home for the young people and have been engaging with local schools and elected representatives. We know this matters to people locally, and we’re committed to staying in touch, listening to concerns and meeting with community members as plans progress.
“We also want to reassure local residents, parents and the wider community that this particular service has operated successfully in South Belfast for over 20 years, in a residential area right beside Methodist College, with an excellent record of safety and positive relationships with neighbours.”
Mr Dennison added: “Our young people are facing soaring rents and a lack of affordable housing, leaving them with very few options. If we do not proceed with this temporary move and refurbishment, the 26 young people will simply have nowhere safe to go – and that doesn’t bear thinking about.”
Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here.
