The homeless need care all the time, not just when a storm hits
■ There has been a lot of talk recently about “the homeless” or “the rough sleepers”, and at first I thought this was good sign. We are becoming more aware, I thought. But using labels and numbers and statistics over and over again has done nothing but normalise the situation.
There has been far too much talk and not enough action by the Government and it has been left to volunteer groups to provide support and to plaster up the wounds while we wait for our Government to produce a plan.
I am saddened and maddened this morning to wake up to the news of another death of a rough sleeper in our city. Whilst we need labels to describe and to classify the group that we are talking about, let’s not forget that behind these labels and numbers are real people, people with names, people just like you or me.
The more I am out on the street as an outreach volunteer and the more connections I make, the sadder and the madder I get.
People often use the word “they”... “sure the homeless, they want...” or “they don’t want...”.
Who is the‘ they’ that they are talking about? There but for the grace of God, go you or I, our children, grandchildren or our friends.
We feel the same, we hurt the same, we all get hungry, we all get cold. We are all part of the same society... it’s just that due to a variety and complexity of circumstances, some people find themselves not on a level playing field and homeless.
Surely this does not mean that they should be denied the basic things that you and I take for granted – making a cup of tea, having a warm bed, having a space to call their own.
Those of us who volunteer in soup runs are not changing the world, but I would like to think that the cup of tea, coffee, soup or the chat or smile that you might get to have with someone before they bed down for the night on the street might just make a small difference to how they feel.
I am a volunteer with ICHH, Inner City Helping Homeless, and there are other groups doing the same thing.
It’s great that people mobilised and came together to help out on a stormy night, but this happens every night of the week.
There are policymakers somewhere working off statistics and numbers, but they are not seeing the human person or hearing the human voice.
We, the privileged, take in our cats and dogs and bunnies at night to keep them warm and safe, but what about the homeless human person who sleeps in his cardboard box or sleeping bag?
V. English