A national provider of housing and homeless services has paid tribute to the role religious congregations have played in helping to house the homeless and refugees from Ukraine.

Sophia founder Sr Jean Quinn said it had supported hundreds of people, including families and “this could not have been achieved without the vision and courage of the religious congregations”.

The religious congregations had also “been to forefront in the response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis by making the property they have available to house families fleeing the terror of war”, she said.

Since its foundation in 1997, ‘Sophia’ has acted as a conduit for religious congregations in addressing homelessness by making their lands and property available for homes.

Sophia’s 24-hours-a-day service in Dublin was recognised in 2019 as an example of European Best Practice in the European-funded project, Dignity and Well-Being. In Dublin it also has a project on Seán McDermott St.

Across Ireland Sophia owns or manages 365 homes and supports 1,034 people in their own homes. It focuses exclusively on helping people to leave homelessness by having a home of their own. It does not have hostels, shelters or family hubs etc, as it believes the solution to homelessness is not about providing a bed for the night but that people should have a home.