Bray Homeless Forum (BHF) aims to address homelessness in the Bray area by fostering collaboration among statutory, community and voluntary sectors.
Mission Statement
The mission of Bray Homeless Forum is to inform local, regional and national homeless related policies and procedures and to strengthen working relationships between relevant agencies and services in order to reduce and prevent homelessness in the Bray area.
Established in 2002, BHF’s work is shaped by local and national policy changes and service gaps identified in its 2003 research report: Homelessness in Bray: Profile of the problem, identification of service gaps and recommendations. BHF represents sectoral organisations, provides a platform for policy discussions informed by service users, and develops annual action plans. Membership is voluntary, encouraging open participation while maintaining client confidentiality.
Monthly meetings are chaired, adhere to a structured agenda and minutes are taken, with all views respected equally. The chairperson supports the BHF’s work and represents its views publicly when appropriate, and sub-committees are regularly formed to address specific tasks.
One such active committee is the Homeless Action Team (HAT) which meets monthly and acts on immediate and emergency housing needs fed in from the various groups. In 2024, the team received referrals which resulted in positive outcomes ranging from housing or housing applications to emergency accommodation placements for individuals. It also ensured emergency responses locally during red alert weather events including the recent storms Éowyn and Darragh.
Current forum members include representatives from Ark Housing, BARS, BCAT, Bray & North Wicklow Area Partnership, Bray Women’s Refuge, Citizen Info, Dublin Simon Community, the Housing Department, LAES Bray, MABS, Tiglin, WH Five Loaves, Wicklow County Council Homeless Outreach team and Bray Municipal District Councillor Dermot O’Brien.
Meetings so far in 2025 were held on 21st January and 18th February at Bray Municipal District and will continue monthly throughout the year.
To contact BHF please email info@bnwap.ie or call (01) 2868266
Members
Ark Housing - was set up in 2007 with a focus to deliver good quality accommodation and supports to those experiencing homelessness in the Bray area - arkhousing.ie
BCAT - was established in 2002 through the Bray Local Drugs Task Force (BLDTF)’s Action Plan and serves the communities most affected by the problems associated with drugs/alcohol misuse - bcat.ie
Bray & North Wicklow Area Partnership (BNWAP) - community-focused organisation dedicated to supporting social inclusion and economic development in the Bray and North Wicklow area - bnwap.ie
Bray Women’s Refuge - a safe and confidential place, where clients and their children can come in times of crisis - anuwicklow.ie/bray-womens-refuge
Department of Housing - gov.ie/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage
Hail - is Ireland’s specialist mental health housing association. It has been providing the key to independent living since 1985 through high quality social housing and mental health tenancy sustainment services - hail.ie
Simon Community Homeless Support Service in Kildare, Wicklow and Meath provide support plans and move-on options to enable people to overcome homelessness and secure a home of their own - dubsimon.ie/kildare-wicklow-meath
Tiglin - charity that helps people overcome addiction, homelessness and other life-controlling issues - tiglin.ie
Wicklow County Council Homeless Outreach - wicklow.ie/Homelessness
WH Five Loaves – is a homeless and disadvantaged charity on Bray Main St providing a drop-in centre, support on local shelters and one-to-one support - whfiveloaves.com