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  • What we do
  1. About us
  2. What we do & who we help

What we do

For more than 40 years we have been standing shoulder to shoulder with people as we support them to transform their lives, creating safer communities for us all.

Every day we strive for:

  • Keeping children and their families together where possible
  • An inclusive and fair society
  • Reducing offending and the impact of offending on victims and the community
  • People we work with are better equipped to make a contribution to their community
  • People having somewhere to live

In the past year Extern...

  • Supported over 20,000 young people, families and adults across our services in 2021
  • In Extern Ireland, we provided 1,061 respite breaks to young people struggling in the home-lives
  • We provided 11,339 hours of direct contact through our Early Years/Passport programme in the Western Trust area
  • In the last year alone, 1,049 people attended awareness sessions run by our BDACTS Connections Drug and Alcohol programme
  • 78% of young people who we supported through the Bail Supervision Scheme completed their treatment
  • 391 placements were provided for young people at our Kinnahalla Youth Village
  • Our Mid Ulster South Tyrone (MUST) homeless hostel recorded 95.4% occupancy levels
  • Extern’s family support services provide a structure and routine to 890 young people through our Janus programmes
  • We gave hope to 8,572 people living with severe alcohol dependency and drug use
  • 22,474 new users accessed the Extern Problem Gambling website


The Extern Difference

We have two core beliefs we call The Extern Difference:

We Never Walk Away

Extern never walks away. We never give up. We believe in the power of the second, third, fourth chance and more. While some organisations operate a ‘three strikes’ policy which can see people moved to the back of the waiting list, Extern does the opposite.

We go the extra mile to be persistent. We will always go back because we know that a door will open when a person is ready, and we do that because we know that’s when lives can change.

We reach in. We don’t wait until people reach out.

In Extern we know when we meet people they can often be at their lowest and most vulnerable. They can be sad, afraid, angry and lonely, but in Extern we know we can give them hope.

When someone is unable to break out of the situation they find themselves in, we reach in and offer the supports they tell us they need. We pride ourselves in meeting people at their point of need, when they are ready.

Who we help

From families with newborn children right through to older people, every day we offer a unique continuum of specialist and dedicated services covering a wide range of areas:

  • Young People and Families
  • Housing and Homelessness
  • Mental Health & Suicide
  • Alcohol & Drugs
  • Minority Communities
  • Justice Services
  • Skills/Employability

If you, or someone you know needs support in relation to any of these areas, please click on Our Services on our homepage or call +44(0)28 90 840555 or +353 (0)45 878720

Published: 1st November, 2018

Updated: 24th June, 2022

Author:

Location: Hydepark House, 3 McKinney Road, Mallusk, BT36 4PE

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  • Who we are

    Extern transform lives as the leading social justice charity across the island of Ireland.

  • What we do

    What we do

    Extern is the leading social justice charity operating across the island of Ireland. We are also the leading provider of placements for social work students in the voluntary sector.

  • Ormeau Centre

    Ormeau Centre

    Based in Belfast, Extern's Ormeau Centre provides temporary accommodation and support to men and women experiencing homelessness

  • Contact us

    Telephone advice and information for people with a housing problem or who are homeless, living with poor mental health or problem gambling.

  • Strategic Leadership Team

    The leadership team have overall corporate responsibility for Extern's corporate strategy, leadership, management and organisational performance.

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    Latest volunteering opportunities

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Sham - NI Refugee Resettlement Service

Sham - NI Refugee Resettlement Service

‘Sham’ (18) and her family received support from Extern's Northern Ireland Refugee Resettlement Service after fleeing the war in Syria in 2017 Read more

Published: 20th June, 2022

Author: Ian Dinsmore

Location: 118-122 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1DL

Family of Lisa McAlister donate £10,000 to tackle suicide and mental health in Glens of Antrim

Family of Lisa McAlister donate £10,000 to tackle suicide and mental health in Glens of Antrim

McAlister family donate £10,000 to Extern in her memory Lisa McAlister, who died tragically by suicide two years ago Read more

Published: 23rd June, 2022

Updated: 24th June, 2022

Author: Ian Dinsmore

Location: 3 McKinney Road, Mallusk, BT36 4PE

Latest tweet

  • The reality is that the average person living with an #addiction is not so easy to spot and looks a lot more like t… https://t.co/LqAegAfgHO

    1stJuly, 2022 @externcharity
  • RT @the_bigstep: Jokes aside... there is no evidence that the current level of gambling advertising and sponsorship is safe. https://t.co/h1jqpRpHVU

    1stJuly, 2022 @externcharity
  • Delighted to be joining online for the @ChildRightsIRL for their webinar - #EndChildPoverty End Child Poverty Polit… https://t.co/jg0eeMXG8h

    30thJune, 2022 @externcharity

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Contact us

Extern is a registered charity in Northern Ireland
Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC105869
Company Registration No: NI 16083
Registered office

Hydepark House,        
3 McKinney Road,
Newtownabbey, BT36 4PE
Telephone: Mon to Fri 9-5pm 
+44 (0)28 9084 0555

Extern is a registered charity in the Republic of Ireland
Company Registration No: 383201
Registered Charity Number: 20055318
Registered office

Extern, 1st floor, Block 4
Monread Leisure and Commercial Centre,
Monread Avenue,
Naas, Co Kildare
W91 YWX3
Tel: Mon to Fri 9-5pm +353 (0)45 878720
Extern Problem Gambling: 
ROI: 089 241 5401
NI: 07537 188 575


Extern Group
Registered with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC103226
Company No. NI 618684

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