Eight army and navy veterans face Christmas homeless in Cork

Former members of the Defence Forces face a number of challenges, including marital breakdown and substance abuse

Jimmy Losty, welfare officer, John Walsh, ceremonial officer, Pat Feen, chairman and Diarmuid Higgins, secretary, at the former social welfare office in Cobh, Co Cork, which is to taken over to help house ex servicemen and provide support services for other vets. Picture: Dan Linehan

A total of eight former members of the Irish Defence Forces are facing Christmas homeless in Cork, according to a spokesperson for the Irish organisation for ex-service personnel.

These army and navy veterans range in age from their late 40s to early 60s and combine rough sleeping with using emergency accommodation provided by charities like Simon and St Vincent De Paul, Diarmuid Higgins, chairman of the southern branch of ONE (Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann) told the Irish Examiner.

“We would love to be able to get them all off the street, not only for Christmas but for good,” Mr Higgins said. “We know they’ll go to Penny Dinners and they’ll be taken care of over Christmas. We mightn’t be able to get them off the streets, but we’ll ensure they’re fed.” ONE will provide Christmas food hampers to a further 20 veterans in the Cork area who have fallen on hard times but who are not classified as homeless.

From institutionalisation to marital breakdown to substance abuse, army and navy veterans face a set of challenges that put them at a higher risk of homelessness than civilians, Mr Higgins said. And the public are “not aware enough” of these challenges.

“One misconception that’s out there is that all ex-service personnel have pensions, but a lot of them wouldn’t,” Mr Higgins said. “You have to serve 21 years to get a pension and if you leave before that you don’t get anything.” 

Alcohol and drug dependencies are very common amongst Cork’s homeless veterans, according to Mr Higgins, who said a decades-long drinking culture in both the army and navy had left its mark on many. He said:

I am an alcoholic myself, and my service in the navy contributed to it. Right up until the early '90s, drink played a big part in the culture of the Defence Forces.

“It was ‘we work hard, we play hard’. We had three bars on each ship – a bar in each mess. They wouldn’t be open when the ship was sailing but as soon as you anchored, the bars would open. Most army barracks also had three bars. Thankfully, that has changed.”

Diarmuid Higgins, chairman of the southern branch of ONE: 'One misconception that’s out there is that all ex-service personnel have pensions, but a lot of them wouldn’t.'

Mr Higgins himself retired from his post as a Naval Petty Officer in 1998, after 21 years of service in the Defence Forces, having joined the army apprenticeship scheme at just 17.

He was offered treatment for alcoholism by doctors at the military hospital in Collins’ Barracks in his early 30s, attending Arbor House treatment centre and the AA. But while he was offered help, he says many army and navy personnel were removed from posts if they developed a drink problem. “Instead of dealing with the problem, they exported it,” he said.

Ex-military personnel may find it difficult to reach out and admit they need help due to training that does not permit for any vulnerability and they’re heavily institutionalised by their immersive workplace culture.

They might also run a higher risk of relationship breakdowns, with negative long-term effects on family support networks, according to the veteran, who again used his own experience as an example.

“You’re on a tin can 200 miles off the west coast, and that becomes your military family. Then I had my own family back in Cobh, my wife and children. When you come home, you might be only home a week and your family have developed their own routine and way of doing things. You arrive back and, coming from the military, you want everything done your way. You scuttle everything and then you’re gone again for another two or three weeks.” 

Couples lead separate lives for so long that they end up not compatible. Then the family home is sold and that can lead to people becoming homeless. 

"They might also have adult children estranged from them or that kind of thing.” 

ONE is currently converting the former social welfare building in Cobh into a veterans' support centre with accommodation for five struggling ex-service personnel. Work has begun on the building and it’s expected to open in summer 2021.

“These are people that need help and we’re trying to provide it,” Mr Higgins said. “They need guidance, help with addictions, and a roof over their heads to provide some stability.

“At the moment, without beds, all we can do is be a friend to them. I’ve bought coffee, brought them for a meal and offered a sympathetic ear.” 

The clinic commenced on the 6th October and is now in its third month, and according to Richard Dillon (House Manager), it is proving to be a great success. The IV on the buttons of the Irish Defence Forces continues to have a meaning long after one leaves the service. pic.twitter.com/REE0ebiXwx

— Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann (ONE) (@OneFuchsia) December 2, 2020

ONE currently has a network of 49 residential spaces for ex-service personnel at its Dublin HQ, Brú na Bhfiann, as well as in Letterkenny and Athlone. Although they could take homeless veterans from other areas who are willing to travel, all are full so they can’t offer support to Cork’s homeless veterans this Christmas.

The veterans’ organisation is supported by grant aid from the Department of Defence and subscriptions collected from serving members of the armed forces. But with running costs of €900,000 a year, ONE still needs to fundraise €400,000 to meet its costs.

As for so many charities, ONE’s fundraising activities, centred around their annual Fuschia Appeal, have been severely hampered by Covid-19 restrictions throughout 2020.

To continue fundraising, the organisation has set up an online lotto which can be played here