Man forced to sleep in his car
A homeless man from County Galway, who has slept in his car in the city for the past ten weeks, is urging Government to be innovative in finding solutions to the housing crisis.
The 35-year-old, originally from Tuam, has been homeless since November since the breakdown of his relationship.
Initially he spent three months living in a relative’s shed but has, for the past two and a half months, been living in his car in various car parks in Galway city.
Every night, John (not his real name) sleeps alongside his boxer dog; by day he walks his best friend in city parks, and avails of showers, meals and other services offered by Cope Galway, the homeless charity.
John doesn’t drink alcohol or do drugs and says he is wary of staying in homeless shelters. His desire not to give up his pet (they’re not allowed into homeless hostels) and his social anxiety, means he has chosen not to avail of beds offered by Cope and other charities in favour of sleeping in his car.
It wasn’t one particular thing or event that led to him being in this situation, it was a “mixture of things”, he says, that was triggered by him having to move out of the house he had lived in with his partner in County Galway.
“Homelessness is indiscriminate; it affects all sorts of people from all walks of life. A lot of people who are homeless in Galway are salvageable. They’re young and a lot of them are clever.
“The Government has to have a plan in place for the next five to ten years to sort the housing shortage, but in the short-term, they have to come up with ideas as well,” he says.
John says his mental health and social anxiety problems, which stem from sexual abuse as a child, have contributed to his situation.
He says the feelings of guilt and shame associated with issues in his childhood, “destroyed my life”.
Anxiety attacks, he says, are like “trying to have a conversation with someone underwater while you’re drowning”.
John says he is not the ‘typical’ homeless person people might perceive.
“I’m in good physical health. I do not drink, smoke, do drugs, gamble or have any criminal history whatsoever. I would like to say I am fairly well educated and presentable and very trustworthy. I have ECDL and QQI qualifications in business and IT, if I did not tell you I’m homeless you would not guess,” he says.
John is trying to rebuild his life; and is hoping to get a loan in order that he can buy and convert a van that is safer and more comfortable to live in than his car.
He wants to highlight his situation, in order that the “Government look again at the housing crisis”.
John adds: “I am obviously not alone, people and families from all professions and spectrums of society become homeless for many reasons. Without services such as Cope, Pieta House and Aware I would be truly lost. I applaud everyone who donates to these services in Galway.”