Afterthoughts 2

And what if I was really homeless?

On Saturday I had my covid vaccine booster. On Sunday I had a headache. It wasn’t terrible but it was persistent and neither paracetamol nor ibuprofen took it away. I ended up dozing on and off in the comfort of my bed or a large armchair. I had dreamt about the armchair when I was on the street. 

I had sat on pavements, on park benches, on upright chairs in popular burger chains or in churches. I missed somewhere comfortable to lounge. Towards the end of my fourteen-night sleep out my back ached and my neck was getting stiff. My legs ached too, from all the walking. That’s when I had thought of home and a large comfortable chair.

This may seem like a really obvious thing to say, but the street lacks some basic creature comforts. I had a really lovely shower at City Taxis offices during my sleep out. I was very grateful. But it was a work shower. That means you get undressed in the little shower room, shower, dry yourself and immediately get dressed again. It is efficient. It’s not what I do at home. I sit, only half dry, on the edge of my bed and take my time. It’s a creature comfort.

Everything on the street lacks comfort. Sleep, sitting, dressing, changing clothes, cleaning – it is all grabbed when possible and it’s basic. During my fourteen days I was aware that I wouldn’t normally neglect my feet in the way that I did. When walking in the summer, the first thing at the end of the day was to take my socks and boots off. But when I was homeless, the end of the day wasn’t so clear. Bedding down isn’t necessarily the end of the day. I realised that on my second night when I kept my shoes on, ready to move, if needed. 

The nights were cold and it seemed natural to keep my socks on most of the time. I happened to meet a nurse who has worked with homeless groups for many years. He told me foot care was vital. Athlete’s foot, trench foot, fungal infections – all well-known, and just a stone’s throw away from some regular creature comforts – fresh socks and washed feet. I never saw the need to encourage people to take their shoes off in the day. That’s changed. 

But there is a wider point here. The creature comforts I longed for were about good health. Bad backs, aching necks, bad feet are just the tip of the iceberg. Wet and cold weather have much more serious implications. And we haven’t mentioned mental health or the need to drown memories of past traumas in alcohol or drug use. The street is a health and wellbeing danger zone. 

So now, with a minor reaction to a booster jab I find myself asking, “and what if I was homeless?”

If you want to know more about changing the lives of people who are homeless visit www.archerproject.org.uk 

To donate follow the link https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/timssleepoutsloghttps://www.justgiving.com/campaign/timssleepoutslog