For the past four years, Galway Simon Community’s annual Sleep Out has made a significant impact on homelessness prevention services throughout the county. Sadly, the event cannot take place as we know it this year, but whether we spend the night in our back gardens or bed down on the living room floor, the most important thing is that we continue to come together in solidarity to help raise desperately needed funds and awareness in support of those facing homelessness.

This is a critical time for our local community. The Covid-19 crisis has had a detrimental impact on the lives of many people in Galway. It has and will continue to put many people at risk of becoming homeless. Our services are stretched more than ever and with the inevitable economic fallout from the crisis looming, we are anticipating an even bigger increase in the demand for our services over the coming months. Our two charity shops, which are a vital source of funds for our services, have been closed for the last three months. In addition, many of our regular fundraising events have had to be canceled.

That’s why the funds raised through Sleep Out for Simon are more important now than ever. The Sleep Out for Simon is our biggest fundraiser of the year and is vital in keeping our Homeless Prevention Services running in the West of Ireland.

Firstly, we would encourage you to identify a place to Sleep Out, making sure that it’s safe, legal and that it adheres to Public Health Guidelines on social distancing.

Once you register, an online fundraising page will automatically be created for you to kick-start your fundraising. There’s no set fundraising requirement but we are encouraging participants to work towards a minimum fundraising goal of €250 for individuals and €1000 for a team. We are here to help you every step of the way and our fundraising team can provide tips, materials and guidance to help you reach your goal – just contact us at sleepout@galwaysimon.ie

On Friday, October 2nd, you will join our Sleep Out community online where you will have access to fun and engaging activities to keep you going throughout the night, including music, mindfulness, and storytelling.

Thank you for standing in solidarity with those facing homelessness by choosing to participate in this year’s Sleep Out. You can register online here or get in touch with our team at sleepout@galwaysimon.ie or by calling 091 381828.

Remember, by encouraging your friends, family, and co-workers to get involved to register with you as part of a team, you will be able to raise more funds to help more people facing or experiencing homelessness.

Absolutely! An experience is always best shared and we are asking all participants to call on their friends, family, colleagues, and teammates to take part together wherever they are in the world. Please encourage them to register online in advance so that they can generate their own fundraising page and receive any updates directly.

If you want to lead your team, you can register as the team leader and invite anyone you would like to join you.

If you have a specific question regarding creating a team, don’t hesitate to contact the fundraising team at sleepout@galwaysimon.ie or call us on 091 381828.

Within the last decade, the demand for Galway Simon’s Homeless & Housing Services has grown by a staggering 636% and frontline teams were already stretched trying to meet this need. To add to this crisis, COVID-19 has had a detrimental impact on the lives of many people in Galway and it will continue to put many people at risk of becoming homeless. With an inevitable economic crisis looming, we are bracing ourselves for an even bigger increase in the demand for our services over the coming months.

Each year we rely on the generosity of our community, people like you, to keep our services running but this year more than ever we need your help. As a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, our two charity shops, which are a vital source of funds for our services, have been closed for the last three months along and many of our regular fundraising events have been canceled. We urgently need your support to make sure that we can be there for those who need us in the difficult times to come.

There’s no set fundraising requirement but we are encouraging participants to a minimum fundraising goal of €250 for individuals and €1000 for a team. We know you can do it — getting started is as easy as sending an email — and we are here to provide the tips, materials, and guidance you need to help you reach your goal.

100% of proceeds will go directly towards safeguarding Galway Simon Community’s Homelessness Prevention Services which include a County wide Community Support Service, a dedicated Youth Service, a specialist Women & Family Service and a drop-in Resource Centre in East County Galway.

Funds raised offline can be easily added to your iDonate fundraising page by following these steps and a link for transferring funds will be provided after the event.

If you are Galway based you are also welcome to call to our office at Galway Simon Community, Unit 18 1st Floor, Tuam Road Retail Centre, Tuam Rd, Galway.
Or for alternative options please get in touch with us at sleepout@galwaysimon.ie or on 091 381828