Cold weather putting Cork Simon under pressure

BALTIC conditions have forced Cork’s Simon Community to expand the hours of its nightlight service as rough sleepers come under severe risk of hypothermia.

The organisation’s Night Light emergency accommodation service- which was introduced in 2017 in response to growing demand-offers mattresses on the floor of its day facility for those without beds. As temperatures continue to plummet, the charity’s Campaigns and Communications manager, Paul Sheehan revealed they have had to temporarily repurpose the day room at their facility in Anderson’s Quay to accommodate rough sleepers during the dangerously severe weather.

The cold snap was set in motion by an Arctic airmass sweeping over Ireland which has resulted in snow, ice, sleet and hail across the country. While inconvenient for many, Mr Sheehan warned that the current temperatures are significantly more dangerous for those living on the streets. The nightlight service normally operates each night from 11pm until 8am. However, the initiative is now available around the clock in a bid to protect Cork’s homeless community.

The charity is also rostering more staff to cater for demand during the treacherous period.

“We have a lot more people in a confined space,” , the charity’s Campaigns and Communications manager, Paul Sheehan explained. “It’s a challenging environment for everyone. There is no doubt about that, but this is the case particularly for people who are depending on the service. The pressure is across the board and affects everyone including staff, but service users more so.” He described the challenges for service users sleeping in close quarters.

“Cabin fever sets in very quickly. We are dealing with a range of people with complex needs. That said, we have a team who are very well trained and equipped with the skills to identify when something is about to flare up so they can deal with it on the spot.” The service was set in motion back in 2017.

“We thought the nightlight service would be temporary but it’s been in place since before the pandemic. The need for emergency beds was such that we had to create those extra spaces. For as long as this weather lasts we will have extra staff on duty. During the pandemic we had to decrease capacity. Now we are back to pre-pandemic levels. Obviously, we are working with all the other services across the city to make sure we can identify as many temporary spaces as possible.” An outreach team is also ramping up efforts to encourage as many rough sleepers indoors as possible.

“In normal circumstances we have to ask people to leave early in the morning because that space is needed. However, that’s not an option at the moment. Our outreach team are engaging constantly at the moment to encourage people to come indoors. If there is a reluctance, they will encourage them to do so as best they can.” He stressed that many people living on the street are already compromised by health issues.

“Sleeping rough is harmful at any time of year but particularly this time of year. Two or three nights can have a significant impact on someone’s health. Even a small drop in temperature can have a far more significant impact than it would on somebody in good health. Isolation is another factor. People on the streets talk about their own vulnerability in terms of how they might be treated. They might be in fear of violence and there is a range of vulnerabilities that people would be exposed to when the weather is this severe. It’s going to have an impact on someone whose health is already compromised.”