Waterford Helping the Homeless: 'We need a miracle'

On Wednesday, September 30, Waterford Helping the Homeless will serve its last breakfast.

They have nowhere else to go.

I have been covering the comings and goings of this little haven for over a year now.

Despite the circumstances of those who use the service, it has never been a sad place to visit.

But when I visited the centre last Friday, that had changed.

When I arrived, the volunteers were packing up food and dismantling furniture.

They were packing up their donations to redistribute to other organisations like Oasis House.

A volunteer gave me some water and said hello before returning to his tasks.

The manager, Susie Moran, hadn’t arrived yet (I was early), so when another volunteer asked me if I would be okay on my own for a bit, I said yes, and I took the opportunity to look around the room.

I looked at the prayer board which Susie would later tell me has never been wiped.

The group just add names whenever they want to send a prayer someone’s way.

I look at the little bin marked with Willie's bottles and cans, and I think this place feels like a home.

We reported last month that Waterford Helping the Homeless had lost their premises, but the generosity of another group meant they were not becoming homeless.

Unfortunately, as circumstances often dictate, that arrangement has fallen through and with all other doors closed, the unit will cease to serve.

Susie said that she has made hundreds of phone calls in the last month but to no avail.

“I mean, we're stressed up to our eyeballs worrying,” said Susie.

“I knew we couldn't stay here forever, but I never thought that we'd have nowhere to go.

“It's just every day you're knocking and knocking and knocking and by the evening you're waiting for a call back, and you don't get the call back, and then you're coming in the next day telling the lads that there's no joy, you know. And like the days are ticking down.

“We are hoping against hope. We need a miracle.” 

'Nobody will help us'

Waterford Helping the Homeless started with the aim to provide at least one meal a day to people in need.

Most of those people are sleeping on the street.

Today they provide breakfast every day and dinners on Sunday, but the service does more than that.

We're not involved in the business. What comes in here goes back out and we just want to make a difference, said Susie.

“We're trying to make a difference. We're trying to do work that should be done for the lads by the government.

“We're doing it for free. And yes, nobody will help us,” said Susie.

Daniel and his partner have been homeless for four and two months, respectively.

They told me they also receive clothing, tents, and snacks from Waterford Helping the Homeless.

They do not know what they will do next week.

“Anything we need is handled out here by Susie and the lads that work here. The work they do here is actually, it's tremendous,” said Daniel.

His partner said: “if you are hungry for lunchtime, they send you out with chocolate croissants, biscuits, crackers, you know, that kind of thing.” 

Service users told us that the alternative is shoplifting.

They are reliant on social welfare payments, but living on the street is not cheap.

One service user told us that as there are no public water fountains, they must buy water.

The unit allows them to freshen up in the morning, but without it they will have to pay €10 to use a shower in a hotel.

If they need a bathroom, they must use one in a café or bar, but only if they buy something.

Think about that for a minute- what would it cost you to use a bathroom everyday and could you do it on €254 a week?

How many cups of coffee could you afford to buy if you didn’t have any other access to a bathroom?

“And then what torments me is they're wondering then, like, why is there suicide, said Susie.

“Because these people are being pushed as if they're nobodies, as if they're dirt, that nobody wants them on their doorstep.” 

Daniel told us that he served two and a half years in prison and sometimes wishes he could go back.

Another service user told us that right now he is drug-free, but when the unit closes next week, he expects we will relapse.

“I know a lot of people come here have issues with drugs and have issues with the drink.

“But we talk to each other, and we talk about how to get off,” he said.

A Team Effort

Many of the service users who spoke to us were tearful and scared.

But it isn’t just the service users who will suffer from the closure.

As one person pointed out, the volunteers who are committed to the cause will also lose something very important to them.

Another person said it was hard for them to see the volunteers so stressed.

Waterford Helping the Homeless operates exclusively on volunteers.

Those who help do not get paid and the service does not receive any funding at all.

They are completely reliant on donations and volunteers.

Jackie, who has been volunteering at the unit for four years, said she considers those she helps her friends.

Besides the service users, we are going to miss it, hugely,” said Jackie.

Service users we spoke to agree with this and volunteers often provided emotional support as well as a meal.

Pauline has been volunteering for five and a half years.

“It’s sad; we will probably all be balling on Wednesday.

Anne, who has been volunteering for two years, said it’s going to be a sad day for her team.

“It's just a shame, you know, because this is such a sanctuary for a lot of service users and they have that flexibility of, you know, coming along and meeting other friends, and Susie has been a huge support to all of them, not just psychologically, but emotionally, giving support,” said Anne.

Another service user said that the people at the unit, as well as the volunteers, have become family.

“This place to get your needs met and relax and get off your feet and be like, okay, I can plan for the day.

“It's a family feeling,” he said.

He said he worries about the young people who use the service and the loss of any sort of guidance.

“There are kids that come out, 18 years of age, and they look up to the volunteers, like their parents; they’re kids with autism, kids with PTSD, kids who hear voices, you know, things like that.

“They don't know how to function without a home, like a headquarters, an HQ.” Michael, who was the first person to use the service, is not living on the street, but he walks half an hour every morning for the chats and coffee.

“It's a social connection, which is just as important as a cup of coffee,” said Michael.

It’s a sad occasion, but Michael does his best to lighten the mood and his messing and laughing with the volunteers does just that.

Richard says that although he never spoke to me, he remembers me when I first started visiting the unit last year.

He was homeless then and he is still homeless now.

He said he has two children who live with his mother and all he wants is to have a house for his family.

But instead, he has a tent.

“I wake up every morning with puddles and dampness, and my head's drowned,” said Richard.

So, what does Waterford Helping the Homeless need?

Susie said ideally a room where they can put their kitchen equipment and provide a space to sit and eat.

They would also need access to a bathroom so service users can clean up every morning.

If the building needs work, the group can do that is rent is required, they will raise the money.

Failing that, Susie said a piece of land or section of a car park to put a small cabin.

Susie said so many buildings are boarded up in the city; there really is no need for a service to be unable to find a place.

She said they could alternatively feed the service users on the street.

“But I mean, you're going to have people then saying, oh, look at them people on the street corner, like animals,” said Susie.

And Susie and the people she helps say that is what it comes down to: stigma.

She said the lads are seen as “monsters” and that could not be less true.

“I mean, I've never seen so much disregard for humans in my life,” said Susie.

“The way things are even now, you don't see things that we're monsters. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life” 

One service user said that because of how they might look, homeless people are constantly judged and monitored, which in turn impacts their self-esteem.

He said the people here are good people just doing the best they can with what they have.

“And yes, there are people in the gutter, but then there are others that are trying to get themselves back on their feet,” said one service user.

Right now we are enjoying a late summer, but winter will be upon us very soon and more so for some.

Susie said she cannot just go home on Wednesday and forget about the people outside on the street.

She will worry.

But: “Thursday morning, where do we go?

“This is a plea for help. That is what this is from volunteers and service users, said Susie and Jackie.

Several councillors and all four of Waterford’s TDs were contacted for comment.

None provided one by publication.