I am homeless — this is what it's really like

Government and local councils need to recognise the housing crisis for the emergency that it is and assist homeless people with rapid re-housing programmes, writes Sharon Crandall

Sharon Crandall, who has lived in Dingle for 22 years, has been homeless since the summer after the lease on the house she rented ended. Photo: Domnick Walsh

I have been living in my car as a houseless person since July 8. 

I was never homeless before. I actually worked to support people who were homeless. I was an active member of my community in Dingle and West Kerry. 

I was involved in the Parent Teachers Association of my son's school. I was involved in GAA, rugby, Scouting Ireland. I never imagined I would become homeless, but that is my current reality. I am struggling, but I have to speak up — for myself, for other homeless people who are afraid, and to highlight from my perspective how this emergency could be handled more efficiently.

I lost my home because the landlord was moving back in, and even with six months' notice, I could not find anywhere to rent in my community in West Kerry. There are thousands of empty holiday homes, but little was advertised anywhere to rent long-term.

First, the daily reality of being homeless is really hard. I have prided myself on being organized and efficient most of my life but becoming homeless has become a very personal challenge. Between the lists of errands, laundry, petrol management, and figuring out where a public toilet is at all times, there hardly seems to be time to feel anything. 

Ice for the cool box, where I can get the cheapest takeaway sandwich, fill the water jug, recycle rubbish. And where can I park safely? 

As a woman who is homeless, this is really difficult. I have felt unsafe, and homeless women are in particular danger of being attacked. 

Sometimes during the day or night, a heavy fog of grief will hit me and, in the middle of everything, I am grieving my loss of home, friends, and family. I wonder who I am anymore. My home was my anchor and I have lost it.

That hit in waves daily, all day, for the first two months until I began to get into a routine, which brought another problem: mental health. I have always been a mentally strong person, but it’s all too easy to start to drift because not much is making sense anymore. 

What is the reward for a hard-working life anyway? A tent? It’s so easy to feel you are disappearing, that all efforts to find housing are failing, you are failing. I can't find a landlord that is willing to take HAP and the rents exceed HAP by hundreds. 

Everything begins to feel futile. In trying to get through daily survival, awareness and routine are obviously critical, but it starts to get harder to motivate yourself when the rules for living do not make sense anymore. 

Exercise and talking with people — even a simple cup of tea and a chat — make all the difference and can revive a day trapped with your own bad thoughts. I worry about my health, I am waiting on surgery and living out of your car is not the best preparation for that.

Solutions

It is obvious that we need more supports to prevent the homeless emergency we are now in. Rapid Re-Housing programmes in cities all over the world work because the number one priority is helping people who have become homeless to find, and secure, housing. 

Local councils need to assist us with this since they have far more power and resources than renters. 

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If the tax clearance certificate is the reason why landlords are reluctant to take HAP, then why not waive it for the next two years to get those 166,000 vacant and idle houses on the market?

I am told that HAP won’t pay for higher-quality mobile homes because they aren’t permanent dwellings. Why not? I have friends whose mobiles are insulated, heated, and have double-glazed windows and would be far nicer than direct provision or emergency housing. 

You could cook and live more comfortably while homes are being renovated. They must start creating teams of builders who can efficiently and rapidly renovate the embarrassing amount of derelict buildings. Some solutions will require creative incentives but renovating living spaces is a very obvious solution. Start hiring and training teams now, get the apprenticeships started.

We are in an emergency and a plan needs to be developed because people are suffering, and we want to prevent this trauma and even death. That is not an exaggeration. While our data may be a little wobbly, we do know that the situation is getting rapidly worse and current policy is not working; to continue under the same policies would be foolish and do great harm to Irish society.

Sharon Crandall has refused emergency accommodation provided by Kerry County Council as she would not be allowed to bring her pet cats. Photo: Domnick Walsh

Government can exist to provide an outlet for bright, innovative thinkers, for those people who are inclined to service and develop a compassionate society. 

Housing provision should be defined by what services the market needs, which is not always the most convenient way for councils to delegate resources, but it is critical to pursue a service-based programme that meets the needs of people where they are. Bringing together service and innovation to practically address the housing emergency is essential before the suffering gets any worse.

• Sharon Crandall has volunteered in housing justice in the US and Ireland for five years now with the Tenants Union of Washington State and is horrified by the changes in the housing market in the last 15 years. She would like to see a robust, state-led building programme initiated that puts an end to the current spiral of homelessness. Housing is a human right.