IT CAN BE a “life and death situation” for homeless people this time of year, as temperatures drop and frosty weather persists.

Homeless services have ramped up operations in order to prevent the worst from happening to some of society’s most vulnerable.

When temperatures get particularly cold, councils launch emergency plans where more resources are allocated to homeless services. This can include increasing the number of beds available in homeless hostels by, for example, putting extra beds in common areas.

However, even in the coldest weather, some people don’t want to stay in a homeless hostel.

“There aren’t beds for couples in any of the facilities. So if you have a couple together, they may not want to come in because they won’t want to be separated,” explains Tony Geoghegan, interim executive director of the Simon Communities.

“They would rather stay in a tent or stay in sleeping bags wherever they can, and hunker down together, because at least they have one another for protection.”

Others, Geoghegan says, may be dealing with trauma or may have previously had negative experiences in hostels.

“You try and reach out as much as you can to them.”

Outreach teams distribute dry clothing, blankets and sleeping bags to try and make people comfortable. Some staff are trained to provide medical assistance if needed.

“We do have to be aware that at this time of the year the temperatures are freezing … in the past people have died from hypothermia, or people have died on the street.”

Aubrey McCarthy, co-founder of the homelessness and addiction charity Tiglin, told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that many service users are already vulnerable, making times like this particularly challenging for them.

It was -5 degrees last night. You are talking about a life and death situation.

McCarthy says the last time there was a cold spell like this, Tiglin were given 10 “arctic sleeping bags”, which he described as “a lifesaver”. This time around, they don’t have any.

Like the Simon Communities, Tiglin distributes packs with basics – clothes and toiletries – but they also include a type of charcoal that can be used to warm the hands, which makes “a radical difference” to the comfort of people sleeping outside.

Generally, having the supplies needed is largely dependent on donations, says Geoghegan.

“We’re not 100% funded. None of our services are … So in that regard, we are often reliant on the general public and our fundraising.

“People are very good …. People often give scarves and hats and gloves and sleeping bags or make donations like that, because they realise that they’re important commodities,” he said.

“To have a stock of socks, for example, warm socks. If you think about it, if you were out all day trudging around, your feet can get into a bad state, and your shoes and socks are really important.”

Temporary resources

While more beds are available now, they’re only temporary and will likely be unavailable again by the end of the week.

“It’s a shame that when the temperature comes back up again, those beds fall back out of the system. But not withstanding that,the council do have some good initiatives,” said Geoghegan.

One such initiative is the Dublin Rough Sleeper Alerts app, which is run by Dublin City Council. It allows members of the public to notify services if they are concerned about a person on the street that appears to be homeless, and then staff and volunteers can check on the person. 

“People often don’t know what to do or don’t know how to engage … That way you can be sure that it will be followed up on.”

Geoghegan added that if people don’t have the app, or are in a town or city where one isn’t available, they can always call a homelessness service directly. This includes the Simon Communities, but also others such as Focus Ireland and Tiglin.