Homeless developing frostbite and trench foot sleeping on the streets

A charity has revealed it has seen cases of frostbite and trench foot among homeless people sleeping rough in Cork City.

Cork Simon revealed that the GP in its emergency shelter came across a case of frostbite last week, and that a “handful” of people have presented with trench foot — a painful condition in which the surface tissue blackens and dies due to prolonged exposure to damp, cold or unsanitary conditions.

The charity said it believes an average of 16 people a night slept rough on the streets of Cork in November, and has warned it does not see any end to the demand for its services, which are operating above capacity. “Normally 44 people per night are accommodated,” Paul Sheehan, campaigns and communications manager at Cork Simon said of the charity’s emergency shelter.

“Between November 1 and 25 inclusive an average of 50 people per night have been staying. We try to accommodate as many people as is safe to do so,” he said.

“During the same time period we had no choice but to turn away an average of seven people per night because the shelter was full and there was no bed available. In all cases we make sure people have warm clothing, blankets and sleeping bags, and work to make sure they can secure a bed as soon as possible.”

Cork Simon said that in the week up to last Friday — when temperatures dipped at night to lows of -1C — it supported an average of 12 people a night who were sleeping rough. “We would be concerned, given the rates of rough sleeping last week, that we still don’t have enough emergency beds so that no one has to sleep rough,” Mr Sheehan said. “We don’t see any immediate end to the demand for homeless services,” he said in reference to last week’s homelessness report published by the Department of Housing.

“In Cork alone there were 240 adults in emergency accommodation — the department doesn’t provide a breakout of figures for children in emergency accommodation in Cork. For adults, this represents an increase of 17% since October 2015. The figures are all going in the wrong direction.”

Cork Simon also conducted an audit of rental properties in Cork over three days earlier this month, and found the average rent for a one-bed property is €867 per month. “The housing crisis continues to be the biggest obstacle for people trying to exit homelessness. People simply cannot find any housing, particularly in the private rented market, that they can afford,” Mr Sheehan said adding the number of available properties, particularly one and two-bed homes, is at “an all-time low”.

“The maximum rent supplement/housing assistance payment from the Department of Social Protection for a single person in Cork City is €550 per month — the average rent of a one-bed flat in the city is 58% higher than rent supplement /HAP limits,” he said. “We do not expect to see any fall in the number of people turning to us for help until the supply of housing, and the rental costs, are addressed.”