Cardiff’s homeless community grieving death of friend

Paddy was a well-known character on the streets of Cardiff, and friends remember a nice man who liked to dance and share a drink. Last week he became the third rough-sleeper to die in the city this year. Richard O’Brien, nicknamed Paddy or sometimes Limerick because of his Irish roots, became unwell while sleeping in a doorway on one of the city’s main shopping streets on 27 November.

As temperatures drop, one charity warned the city’s hostels were full and housing waiting lists were “absolutely unprecedented”. Gary Mason said he was with 53-year-old Paddy when he became unwell and raised the alarm. “He woke me up and said ‘Ga, I can’t move’,” said Gary.

A tribute to Paddy was on Queen Street for several days after his death “He was in the doorway of Burger King with a skinny sheet over him and he didn’t look well. “I tried to warm him up, I thought he’d bounce back but he didn’t.”

South Wales Police confirmed a man had died after an ambulance was called to Queen Street during the early hours. It said there were no suspicious circumstances, inquiries were being made to trace next of kin and his body had not yet been formally identified. His friends said Paddy was a drinker but didn’t use drugs and they believed he had a daughter.

Jonathan Morgan said Paddy was “a really nice man” Jonathan Morgan, who himself became homeless after being made redundant and a relationship breakdown, said Paddy had been sleeping rough for years. “He was a funny little thing, he used to make you giggle, he was a nice person, a really nice man,” he said.

Paddy was one of more than at least 40 people known to be sleeping rough in the city and the third rough sleeper to die in the city this year, according to Cardiff council.

Paddy’s friends said he liked to dance and would always share his drink if others were short It said it was “very saddened to hear of the death of someone who had been rough sleeping in the city and our thoughts are with all those close to him at this sad time”.

It said the person had been known to its homeless outreach team and had accessed accommodation on a number of occasions “but unfortunately each time returned to the street”. Story continues “The circumstances of this sad loss will now be investigated to see if there are any lessons that can be learned,” it said.

Paddy was also known to the outreach teams at charity The Wallich. “It’s always absolutely devastating when somebody loses their life to homelessness, mainly because it’s so avoidable,” said its chief executive Dr Lindsay Cordery-Bruce. The charity is currently supporting between 50 and 60 people rough sleepers in Cardiff, eight of whom sleep in tents.

She said people needed to remember that homeless people were “actually just people”. “They’re someone’s mum, someone’s daughter, someone’s son,” she said.

Gary Mason was sleeping rough with Paddy when he became unwell

She said the demand on homeless services in the city meant a lot of its emergency homeless accommodation were currently full and waiting lists for housing were “absolutely unprecedented”. She said the cost of living crisis meant the face of homelessness was changing. “More recently we’re starting to see people who are in work sleeping in cars and not able to to find accommodation – this is kind of new territory,” she said.

“We used to see it every now and again before but just lately, since the cost of living crisis has started biting, we’re seeing it a lot more often and that’s a really big concern.” Dr Cordery-Bruce said the cause of homelessness was complex, which makes it difficult to solve. “It comes down to the fact that we don’t have enough homes for people but it’s not all about houses – sometimes it’s about the trauma and things that people have been through and so it’s a lot more complicated that just giving somebody some keys,” she said.

She would like to see controlled rent in Wales and housing benefits that match the price of rent. The Welsh government said the latest death was “an extremely sad incident”. It said it had put in place new regulations and additional funding[1].

Dr Cordery-Bruce believes many people who see homeless people out in the cold “walk by because it’s painful and because people don’t know what to do”.

Paddy’s friends say he was sleeping in the doorway of Burger King when he became unwell

What can you do to help a homeless person?

“Ask somebody if they’re alright if it feels safe to do so,” advised Dr Cordery-Bruce. “Just strike up a conversation with somebody on the streets – they’re usually really pleased to chat.”

What should you give a homeless person?

Dr Cordery-Bruce said the key thing is to ask the homeless person what they need.

“They might have been bought 10 hot chocolates already,” she said. “They might need hand cream if the skin on their knuckles has dried out and started to split and has become painful… it might be a dry pair of socks.”

Paddy’s friends say they are still in shock after his death

Should you give cash to a homeless person?

Dr Cordery-Bruce said giving money was a big debate in the homelessness sector.

“Our position at The Wallich is if you want to give money it’s yours to give but do so without condition,” she said. “So if it does feel appropriate to give somebody some money so that they can choose what they spend it on, then do so without any other stipulations.”

What can you do if you’re not comfortable approaching a homeless person?

Street Link[2] is a website where you can report a sighting of somebody that you’re concerned about. An outreach team is then alerted so they can go out and check on the person.

How can you spot hypothermia in a rough sleeper? If you spot symptoms of hypothermia you should call 999 and stay with the person until help arrives. According to the NHS[3], symptoms of hypothermia include shivering, skin that is pale, cold and dry, lips that have turned blue or grey, slurred speech, low breathing, tiredness or confusion.

While waiting for help you should move them indoors, remove any wet clothing, wrap them in a blanket, sleeping bag or dry towel making sure their head is covered, give them a warm non-alcoholic drink and some sugary food like chocolate if they’re fully awake and keep them awake by talking to them. What are the council doing? Cardiff council said it had sourced additional emergency accommodation for the winter to help people to come inside off the street.

It said its outreach team would continue to support individuals sleeping outside, highlighting the dangers of sleeping rough, particularly in cold weather and encouraging them to accept accommodation.

References

1. ^ new regulations and additional funding (www.gov.wales)
2. ^ Street Link (thestreetlink.org.uk)
3. ^ According to the NHS (www.nhs.uk)