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WHEN YOU THINK about homelessness, there’s a tendency to use broad strokes.
It involves sleeping on the streets. It’s mainly to do with alcohol and drugs. It’s not fixable.
As part of our Homeless Ireland series this week, one of the big things we want to do is to hear from homeless people about what their lives are like. To tell their stories about how they ended up where they are and particularly about what their life is like every day.
Our journalists travelled around the country and asked homeless people they met to answer a short number of questions about their lives on index cards that we gave them.
The questions were difficult to put together at first. A lot of them were scrapped: it’s hard to ask people about one of the most difficult things in their life without coming across as patronising.
Instead, we focused on the day-to-day stuff. How long have you been homeless? What’s your biggest fear? What do you think of the gardaí? What’s the best thing that’s happened to you this week?
We’re going to be tweeting some of the answers over the course of the week on our dedicated @HomelessIreland account, and using them throughout our coverage, but you can get a peek at some of them here. We didn’t ask for respondents’ names or identifying details but some people provided them anyway.
Where would you like to be in a year’s time?
“Off tablets and have some sort of job. I would do any type of work. Peace of mind.”
Do you feel safe?
“No I feel very vulnerable.”
How do you think people who are not homeless view people who are homeless?
“They view us as dirt like we deserve it but it can happen to anyone.”
Why do you think people become homeless/
“Because of family problems and when my mam and dad died everything fell apart.”
What is the best thing that happened to you this week?
“Got food and money off passers-by whilst sleeping in a door way.”
What three words would you use to describe being homeless?
“Sad, wanting 2 die, you don’t feel any good, you can’t see hope and that’s what everyone need just 2 feel good that’s all.”
What is the hardest thing about being homeless?
“It can get monotonous, you can’t plan ahead or be productive. Stressful”.
What is the best thing that happened to you this week?
“I got donated lots of baby clothes, baby bottles, sterilisers, moses baskets. I’m 6 months pregnant with twins and I can’t afford much so I’m grateful there are people out there that can donate.”
Anything you’d like us to know?
“Finding myself homeless at sixty was simply unbelievable. Very difficult to get my head around it. Realising I had no home which means no postal address. Living in a community where people know the name and address of the homeless shelter and look at you differently when you give it as your current temporary address.”
What makes you feel safe?
“A private life living alone with enough money to do basic things in life and manage my own affairs and bank account.”
What do you think of the gardaí?
“Fuck them.”
What does the word ‘home’ mean to you?
“Comfort of family – to go out, to work or whatever – and have somebody to come home to. Not quite that simple but!!!”
What is your biggest fear?
“My biggest fear is that I won’t be able to live in my own home over all the problems I have I just want to settle down and live a normal life I don’t wanna be homeless ever again.”
How do you think people who are not homeless view people who are homeless?
“Rubbish scum piece of shit.”
What is the hardest thing about being homeless?
“Being in the Fairgreen [hostel in Galway] not being ungrateful but sharing my life with total strangers is hard.”
Where would you like to be in a year’s time?
“Living in my new home. Health issues resolved. Plan an adventure. Create and implement plan to provide myself with financial security. Check in with councillors if necessary. PS: Make a note to those who helped me during this time and say thanks to them”.
What does the word ‘home’ mean to you?
“Everything”
Main pic: Andrew Bennett via Flickr/Creative Commons
All other pics: TheJournal.ie
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Did I just read this..jasyus I did…I did need to get out more..but nobody has ever explained to me why Broccoli goes cold as soon as you cook it..I’ve never had hot Broccoli yet..
@sparky: Broccoli has a very high surface area per unit weight compared to other veg. This high surface area allows for higher rates of heat transfer to occur between the broccoli and the air. The stems of the broccoli are also a lot less dense than other vegetables too so heat transfer occurs more rapidly for that reason as well.
@sparky: always preheat your plate.
Another valuable scientific endeavour….
Thank God for religion, that’s all I can say.
Stephen Hawking must be glad he is still alive to read this. Good to know scientists have their prioritys right. Serious illnesses & research is not important if shoelaces become undone according to these scientists. This is an insult to scientists everywhere.
@Abcd: If you’d bother to actually read the article you’d see that it does have a serious side in preventing injury.
@Jack Cassady: Guess what Jack… turns out God didn’t do this either…
@Paddy Ryan: My shoelaces have not undone since i was about 6. We where taught too secure all footwear & loose clothing especially near any machinery.
@Abcd: move on to ‘é’ and the rest of the alphabet as soon as you can. Then complete your education, concentrating on logic, but not forgetting reading and comprehension. Then read this article once more. If you do not understand it differently the second time around, you are probably ineducable.
Jasus, this article had me in knots.
Double knot always works for me. Takes2 seconds longer to untie but worth it for one pair of athletic shoes with laces that untie within 10 minutes of tying the knot.
Bunny ears, bunny ears, playing by a tree. Criss-crossed the tree, trying to catch me. Bunny ears, Bunny ears, jumped into the hole, popped out the other side beautiful and bold.”
@Colleen McGovern: what you rabbitin’ on about, Willis?
“…unable to lift his foot off the gas…”
Enough of the Yankisms
Hahaha, yet you use an Americanism in your appeal to eschew a ‘Yankism’!
Enough with the Little Englander mentality. The world uses American English and in Ireland we use, increasingly, American spelling. You can color it whatever way you wish, but the English used in Ireland and in our neighboring island is moving toward the American standard.
Seriously
My guess is it’ll be a combination of vibration from the foot/shoe in normal thread action and the laces swinging. The result of both actions causing the knot to work itself loose.
@Paul Downes: My guess is its explained in the article.
Good on you journal. That’s a fine piece of copy and pasting from a piece of news that was reported on around the globe last week.
So, am I right in thinking a bunch of scientists have basically determined through scientific research that lases come undone because we/i don’t make a proper knot?? Out with lases in with velcro. I think we need a tribunal!
Ah lads, this was solved a long time ago. It’s to do with the direction in which you tie the knot. 3 min video on Ted Talks explains it.
Terry Moore: How to tie your shoes
http://go.ted.com/NQ2rKQ
I kid you knot!!!
Who the hell finds this kind of research ? The scouts ?
#Funds#
Jesus these lads are busy
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