'No one is turned away' says Cork Simon as temperatures expected to fall to -8C this week

Cork County Council crews gritting footpaths in preparation for another freezing night. A status yellow low temperature/ice warning for the entire country has been extended until midday on Friday. Picture: Andy Gibson

As Arctic conditions settle over the country this week, with temperatures as low as -8C predicted, the bitter cold has put extra pressure on homeless services.

A status yellow low temperature/ice warning for the entire country has been extended until midday on Friday. It is to remain very cold with widespread frosts and icy stretches, some freezing fog, and some showers of hail, sleet, and snow mainly near coasts.

"Cork can expect some fairly wintry showers and into parts of South Kerry as well, particularly on higher ground [on Tuesday]," Gerry Murphy of Met Éireann told RTÉ.

It is to remain mostly cloudy in the southern half of the country with rain pushing into the southwest, falling as sleet or snow in places away from the coast.

Wednesday is forecast to be generally dry with crisp winter sunshine but a chance of isolated wintry showers near coasts. Temperatures are predicted to plummet as low as -6C on Wednesday night.

The National Emergency Coordination Group has been convened in a bid to keep essential services open. Schools and public transport were to operate as normal with local authorities activating their winter maintenance plans.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said that while the Government plans to keep all schools open this week, there will be discretion at local level for school management on whether they should close due to the weather. He said there would not be “wholesale school closures".

Widespread gritting will continue, while homeless outreach teams will engage with rough sleepers to encourage them to avail of indoor shelter, he said.

UPDATE:

Gritting will be carried out across the county this evening and in the morning.

7pm grit all routes 15g per m2
5am grit all routes 15g per m2

A status orange warning is in place from 5pm this evening until midday tomorrow. Please take care pic.twitter.com/NidDk506WV

— SDCC (@sdublincoco) December 12, 2022

Cork Simon outreach worker Noreen Twomey’s car registered a temperature of -4C as she drove around Cork city and suburbs before sunrise on Monday morning, her car stuffed with clean sleeping bags, as she and colleague Mirjana Grgic searched for people sleeping rough to offer services.

One man who slept in a bitterly cold doorway off Patrick Street in just his clothes was given two sleeping bags – one to sleep on and protect him from the freezing ground and one to cover himself with and protect him from the icy air.

"People sleeping rough can die in this weather. And anyone abusing alcohol is particularly at risk of freezing to death as alcohol can blunt their feeling of the cold, potentially leading to hypothermia," Ms Twomey said.

Although Ms Twomey and her colleagues encourage everyone sleeping rough to come to the homeless shelter, some refuse to engage with services or prefer to camp out in tents on the greener outskirts of the city or in vacant buildings.

📸 A blanket of freezing fog 🌫️ as seen from Ballindinas Hill near Wexford town this morning, stretched all the way to the Blackstairs Mountains about 30 km away ⛰️

Minimum 🌡️ went to -5°C at nearby Johnstown Castle overnight ❄️https://t.co/BoUueCIxKa

📷credit Ailbhe Honohan pic.twitter.com/B4dlTTONyn

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 12, 2022

However, Cork Simon's outreach team goes out searching for them every weekday morning to check that they are still alive and to continue to offer help.

But most people do accept help and almost 30 extra people were accommodated in Cork Simon’s facilities on Sunday night with every effort made to keep people out of the cold. 

Cork Simon’s city shelter was so full on Sunday night that one service user slept under the stairs, snuggled in bedding next to a radiator.

“No one is turned away,” Cork Simon outreach project worker Mirjana Grgic said.  “Anyone can come to our door. We work with everyone.”