LIFE ON THE STREETS IN WINTER
While the thoughts of most of us turn towards Christmas, for those living on the streets December brings the joyless ordeal of coping with plummeting temperatures. As part of our campaign to raise £75,000 to get help to Cardiff’s rough sleepers, Ruth Mosa
“I HAVE nothing planned for Christmas – I have nowhere to go” – they’re the words of 35-year-old Gareth, a man living on Cardiff’s streets.
Winter has officially arrived and the temperature has been at or around freezing for days.
But, for most of us, the cold is only felt as we leave the car or during the walk to work.
We’ve come from a warm bed, in a warm house where we’ve had a cup of tea before heading outside.
Some people have slept outside with just a few layers and a sleeping bag.
The usual spots in Cardiff include the steps of the museum or crown court, shop doorways, or subways.
Gareth says the cold makes it harder for him to get up.
“It’s affected me badly,” he admits.
He’s been on the streets for four months.
Steve is 39. He’s been on the streets of Cardiff for a year.
“I’m in pain with my joints. I had bad knees previously but the cold makes it worse.”
Artus is 24, he’s also been on the streets for a year. “It’s very bad,” he says. While the thoughts of many of us turn to Christmas, for these three men there are no plans, no crackers, no presents, no warmth.
Artus said “nothing” was planned, but he’ll stay in Cardiff. Gareth has “nowhere to go”. Steve said: “I have nothing planned. I like bird watching so I look forward to watching the robins.”
It’s a heartbreaking glimpse into the lives of men who have nowhere to turn.
Family and relationship breakdowns are often a cause of homelessness, so Christmas isn’t just a lonely but a painful time.
They are just some of those sleeping on the streets. There are more. Between November 2016 and October 2017 there were 1,624 contacts from The Wallich’s Rough Sleepers Intervention Team, a 24% rise on the year before.
It says that the average number of people it sees in a month through that team is 29, but says that has to be a conservative estimate of the total number rough sleeping.
The majority were men. The average age was 43.
Antony Kendall, director of operations at The Wallich, said: “The Wallich collects rough sleeping data across Wales every day.
“However, our data refers to the number of people who engage with our own Rough Sleepers’ Intervention Teams, rather than the local authority’s figures which represent data captured across all rough sleeper services.
“So, we can say our rough sleeping statistics are a fairly conservative estimate, with the total of the people sleeping rough actually being greater.
“That being said, the number of people we are seeing on the streets is increasing year-on-year.
“The trend doesn’t seem to be stopping.
“We will shortly be releasing a document called the Street-Based Lifestyle Monitor which summarises the data we’ve collected throughout the year.
“We know that we have made contact with more than 1,600 people living a street-based lifestyle this year, in Cardiff alone.
“Despite increases in funding from Welsh Government and the local authority, and the subsequent expansion and delivery of new services, this is a 24% increase on the previous year.
“Daily, we are now seeing averages of more than 40 rough sleepers in Cardiff, with some single-day figures as high as 60.
“Around five years ago, we’d
see around 15 people on a bad day. “The breakdown of our findings show that the average age of a person making contact with The Wallich is getting older.
“The average age we saw between 2016-17 is 43 years old – 41 for males and 38 for females.
“In 2013-14 the average age was 37 to 38 for males and 33 for females.
“Despite these slight increases in average age, the majority of people living a street-based lifestyle has remained between 36 to 50 years old for a number of years.
“Family and relationship breakdown is often a cause of homelessness and we could say that this age range is particularly susceptible to displacement after a marriage breakdown.
“In Cardiff through 2016-17, 58% of our contacts were male, 31% were female and the rest undisclosed.
“This would also support the marriage-breakdown theory.
“There are consistently more males than females on the streets, and research currently being conducted by Shelter Cymru and The Wallich should inform us as to the causes of recent increases.
“Spikes in rough sleeping happen occasionally but unfortunately as the average number of people gets higher, so do the spikes.
“There’s no single reason for the current increase in rough sleeping that we’re seeing, however, some factors may include changes to welfare benefits and a lack of suitable move-on accommodation from homelessness services.
“As winter draws in and the weather gets colder, we will be working tirelessly with the council, other agencies and charities to get more people off the streets and into safety.
“We are hopeful the average number of rough sleepers we make contact with each morning will go down in the coming months as winter provisions, such as extra hostels spaces and church night shelters, will kick in.
“In response to all conducted research, The Wallich will continue to deliver tailored solutions aiming to meet the complex needs of people experiencing homelessness in Wales.
“If you are concerned about anyone rough sleeping, there are many ways to help.
“Please contact StreetLink, who will put relevant support services and the local authority in contact with the individual to help them access housing.”