Find out more fromThe Simon Community's website. Copies of the latest Progress Report are available at the back of church
Simon of Cyrene accompanied Jesus in his suffering on the road to Calvary; by carrying the cross for Jesus he helped to ease his burden for a while. Simon didn't ask questions or set conditions for his help, nor did he aim for a particular outcome. He simply made an immediate gesture of caring when he saw the need.
Leeds Simon Community was founded in 1999 by three young men (one from this parish) who saw that homeless and rootless people in Leeds had a similar need for practical and emotional support. It is now a community of around 35 volunteers from diverse backgrounds and of all ages, who believe we have a personal and communal responsibility for the vulnerable in our society.
Charities for homeless people are under great financial pressure to conform to Government guidance on how to work with rough sleepers. But many rough sleepers cannot or will not be helped by other services such as St George's Crypt. Their tragic personal circumstances have led them to a chaotic and self-destructive lifestyle, mistrustful of offers of help, with low self-esteem and little motivation to change. Leeds Simon Community offers these vulnerable people a gesture of caring, without conditions, questions, or demands.
Person-to-person care has always been at the heart of the Community's work, as we believe that emotional support is vital before people can make changes in their lives. Our flexible and creative approach can help people whose psychological and social damage from living on the streets means they cannot easily respond to more conventional resettlement programmes.
Seven years on we are still needed to help those most in need in our city - the man sleeping rough in a dangerous derelict building to avoid being arrested, the suicidal woman who is sitting alone without furniture or support in her new bedsit, the man who has just been discharged from hospital and is wandering penniless, homeless, and with no winter clothes. Our creative and cost-effective work is only possible with help like St Chad's. We are deeply grateful for its continuing support since the Community's foundation.
