Do you know anyone from your former school/college who became homeless?

nigel_wilson

Probably not a common occurence in Ireland but I hear it all the time from my American friends. Stories about 1 or 2 people from their distant social circle either kicked out by parents, lost their job and home from drug addiction, in massive debt etc...

I don't think I know anyone who has become homeless. Maybe we have better social support (not just financially speaking)

HONKEY TONK

Define homeless

Homeless to me is the people sleeping rough on the street.

Homeless to focus Ireland has 10,000 people

Hector Bellend

No. In fact, I dont want to meet any of those c**ts again and dont care if they are homeless or not.

nigel_wilson

HONKEY TONK wrote: »

Define homeless

Homeless to me is the people sleeping rough on the street.

Homeless to focus Ireland has 10,000 people

'street' homeless. Not ''homeless but I moved in with other relatives''.

Amalgam

Male prostitute/Homeless. I spotted him, he spotted me, I didn't stop to chat.

Very much a sponge, rather than a stone.

Hector Bellend

Amalgam wrote: »

Male prostitute/Homeless. I spotted him, he spotted me, I didn't stop to chat.

Very much a sponge, rather than a stone.

His dream came true if he is american.

He got to play wide receiver at pro level

little bess

Yes, homeless, as in sleeping rough, and with mental health problems. He recently died, late forties.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Not in Ireland and not from school. I know a few who became homeless in the USA about 10 years ago but then again they have over 600,000 homeless on any given night. Canada has 35,000. The chances of knowing someone personally in Ireland are much more unlikely.

mad muffin

Yes. Two former high school friends. One of them I even shared a flat with.

Both are serving time in prison for drug smuggling. The one I shared a flat with Ben Hildebrand got busted in 2013 with his sister on the Gold Coast, trying to smuggle in some $54 million worth of liquid ecstasy, in olive oil bottles from Spain. He’s serving 15 years.

The other, Joshua Smith. He got busted just before Christmas near Geraldton W.A with 7 others, trying to smuggle in some 1 Billion dollars worth. That’s right Billion. Of meth from China. He’s looking at life.

corner of hells

HONKEY TONK wrote: »

Define homeless

Homeless to me is the people sleeping rough on the street.

Homeless to focus Ireland has 10,000 people

So do you know a rough sleeper ?

Mr.Crinklewood

little bess wrote: »

Yes, homeless, as in sleeping rough, and with mental health problems. He recently died, late forties.

Snap

mailforkev

Yep, a local guy with a pretty troubled childhood who was in my class in primary school. He had a bit of a reputation but was actually a nice enough guy who just always had issues. I was friendly with him for a couple of years.

I heard years later that he ended up on the streets of London in his early 20s and didn’t make it to 30 thanks to an overdose. I pass his old house occasionally and he still pops into my thoughts.

This was in Foxrock btw, so some mental health issues or drugs can bollock up every advantage in life you might have had.

Charlie19

A woman approached me a few years back and asked me for spare change, as I was about to give my normal response to this type of request, I started to realise that I might know her and It then came clear that we were once in the same class in secondary school. I asked her about it and she then recognised me

I emptied my pockets out of shock and handed over whatever I had. I was really suprised as the girl I once knew was well educated and would've been the last person from that group of students that might of ended up going down that route.

I thought about it non stop for days after.

Hope things work out for her.

anewme

Worked with a lad that ended up sleeping rough due to depression and alcohol(mid twenties)

Was a lovely lad, polite, intelligent and extremely good looking, I always stopped to say hello when I met him when I’d pass him on the street. I always felt it a pity that things had turned out that way for him.

Father had tried his best but could not reach him due to the depression. Mother had died young and I think he struggled with that.

Saw him recently out doing shopping with an elderly lady. Heard after it was a relative who took him in and he is getting back on his feet.

Was great to see him looking relaxed, happy and healthy.

JupiterKid

No, not personally, but a guy who I shared a desk with in primary school and who left our secondary school around the Inter cert subsequently developed severe mental health problems and killed his father.

A chap who is a good acquaintance from school days told me about it and I was shocked. I saw the article in the news shortly afterwards. He’s in Dundrum mental hospital (really a prison for the criminally insane) now. When he’s released there’s a good chance he’ll end up homeless.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

What's the definition of homeless?

Mrs OBumble

Gordon Thoughtless Ringleader wrote: »

Not in Ireland and not from school. I know a few who became homeless in the USA about 10 years ago but then again they have over 600,000 homeless on any given night. Canada has 35,000. The chances of knowing someone personally in Ireland are much more unlikely.

What's that as %-ages of the population though?

I'd have thought it's more likely in Ireland, due to the small size of the country. Somebody must've gone to school with all the street drinkers I see aorund.

Grandeeod

Not homeless as such, but they did eventually get a council house. Never worked very much and had a load of kids. They loved Liffey Valley SC and the Square. Often had a KFC in the foodhall with the whole crew. Nice people. I worked all my adult life and paid my taxes. A fooking struggle, especially being self employed. I'm near enough 50 in a few short years. My pension got demolished in the recession. I lost my house too after a few stupid decisions. But I have no problem with it. I'm on the way back up!.

However I also have no problem with the guys I've just described. They showed me far more care than any others who tended to have their heads up their asses.

Graces7

z31rexwoadtjh6 wrote: »

What's the definition of homeless?

Depends on who you ask. As others have said , focus etc count anyone in emergency accommodation .. as opposed to sleeping rough which is the generally accepted definition worldwide

I have family and their co workers in Canada working with the true homeless there. The last govt audit which they participated in was nearly 3 million living rough . As well as several hundred families living in cars - family pets and all.

No social housing and no emergency accommodation.

Wanderer78

Graces7 wrote:

No social housing and no emergency accommodation.

I'm surprised to hear that about Canada, I thought it had some sort of welfare state

Graces7

Wanderer78 wrote: »

I'm surprised to hear that about Canada, I thought it had some sort of welfare state

Yeah everyone thinks that. Our idea of welfare state is not theirs. And it has changed for the worse the last years.

They used to say miss three month;s rent and you are out, now it is miss one month's rent and you are out. No messing. Out on the street.

We ( I ID with family on this) take trucks of food out to where we know they will find us. and food banks are the norm there. Bales of hay at night save lives.

We are mainly in BC/Vancouver but the same all over now.

So we are doing OK here by comparison. And living in a hotel means you have a roof, bed, heating. Not on the streets.
Read a news item a few days ago listing the number of over 60s now in emergency accommodation. They are safe, and some nights I would love a well heated room!

Turtyturd

Know one person from primary school, often see him begging on the ha’penny bridge.

Wanderer78

Turtyturd wrote: »

Know one person from primary school, often see him begging on the ha’penny bridge.

was he troubled in school?

seamus

nigel_wilson wrote: »

Probably not a common occurence in Ireland but I hear it all the time from my American friends. Stories about 1 or 2 people from their distant social circle either kicked out by parents, lost their job and home from drug addiction, in massive debt etc...

I don't think I know anyone who has become homeless. Maybe we have better social support (not just financially speaking)

Far more common in the US where there are no social supports. A series of unfortunate incidents such as losing a job and/or getting seriously ill can lock someone into a death spiral of debt and poverty. Which typically lends itself to drug abuse and addiction issues.

I don't know of anyone from my specific year who ended up homeless or destitute, but then I'm not in touch without anyone from school. I know of at least one guy from a few years ahead who died from a drug overdose last year. But anyone who knew him said that it had all started before he even left school. So making it to his forties is probably more surprising than the fact that he died.

Turtyturd

Wanderer78 wrote: »

was he troubled in school?

Yeah he would’ve been. His whole family would’ve been ‘troubled’. I actually crossed paths with him through work a few years back (not face to face) and he had things happen in his life that would mess a lot of people up. He was also very openly camp/gay growing up in a place and time where it wouldn’t have been any way accepted.