One of Northern Ireland’s oldest charities celebrates 140th anniversary

by Gráinne Connolly

One of Northern Ireland’s oldest charities has celebrated it's 140th anniversary.

'Harmoni', which provides support and care to people living with a disability or those who are disadvantaged, held a celebratory lunch at Belfast City Hall yesterday. 

Guests came from Statutory partners such as the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, South East Health and Social Care Trust and the Belfast Trust.

Other guests came from the world of banking and business who have supported Harmoni over a number of years, as well as service users, staff and trustees.

The charity was founded in 1878 in Felt Street to provide support to the disadvantaged in society. 

It now offers two core services: Supported Independent Living for those living with disabilities at Strickland’s Care Village in Bangor, which is made up of 25 independent apartments located at Stricklands Glen in Bangor and hostel accommodation and support for men experiencing homelessness at Utility Street Hostel in Belfast where 59 men are supported each night.

According to Harmoni Chief Executive, Sam Humphries the 140th anniversary event marked a number of key events in the charity’s journey, starting with the renaming and rebranding to become ‘Harmoni’.

Additionally, a 5 year £5m investment programme starting in 2019 looks set to continue the charity’s reputation as one of the leading providers of specialist care in Northern Ireland (NI).

Sam Humphries commented, “Harmoni is humbled and privileged to provide care and a support for a diverse range of people, each with an individual need.

"Our 140th  anniversary event is a fantastic opportunity for us to recognise the hard work of staff and volunteers in helping service-users unlock their potential through support and care and to highlight future plans for growth and investment to those interested in the changing landscape of Northern Ireland’s Third Sector environment.

“As a society we have changed a lot over the last 140 years, yet today we have over 5000 people who are regarded as technically homeless in our province. Over 300 emergency beds are in use each night in Belfast alone, so what has changed?

“The aliments that impacted people in Belfast back in 1878 have long been eradicated yet we have more sick people and a stretched NHS.

"Our disabled clients enjoying independent living and our men who are currently experiencing homelessness don’t care about Brexit or soft and hard borders, they care that the support services they need will be there tomorrow.

"They worry when their care provider struggles to deliver care because people don’t want to work in a highly regulated environment that requires much from them but can only pay the base level.

“We can only make a plea to the politicians of this province to act, there are initiatives sitting on ministers’ tables to help deal with the scourge of suicide, prevalent in the homeless community.