28 Simon Communities of Ireland DOMINIC Dominic grew up in Dublin leaving school at 13 to find work. Dominic has had a variety of jobs since frequently losing his job as a result of his drinking. Dominic moved to Birmingham in his twenties where he worked for over twenty years. His memory is poor because of alcohol and he is frequently confused and can at times suffer from paranoia. Dominic continues to this day to be a heavy drinker and smoker, and has regularly slept rough and stayed in hostels. He thinks he may be in his current hostel 5-6 years but is not sure. He is generally content and likes the staff and volunteers. He does worry about things being stolen from his room and has developed a complex system for managing his money and avoiding it getting stolen. Dominic says he is not ready to die yet and that he would like to go to heaven but thinks he will have to spend some time in purgatory first. He says alcohol helps him not to worry. He thinks he is lucky because he believes in god and goes to mass and that should help when he dies. Dominic would like to continue living where he is for his lifetime. 3.1.2 Types of Homelessness Four or five interviewees had periods of homelessness throughout their adult life. These periods of homelessness were often linked to heavy and sustained periods of drinking, linked in turn with periods of depression. For Kate, her first experience of homelessness was as a result of domestic violence. Three interviewees who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia spoke about how that had left them struggling with life. It was often only when they were older that they had been formally diagnosed and received the treatment they needed. Seven interviewees (Derek, Dara, Garret, Cillian, Ciara, Kate, Kevin) had spent long periods of time sleeping rough. None of the interviewees were currently sleeping rough; indeed most of them believed that they would not be able to survive with their current health conditions on the street. Interestingly over half of the interviewee’s first experience of homelessness occurred in their early fifties. For many it was the death of a partner or a breakdown84 of long term relationship (closely followed by a court order requiring them to vacate the family home) that had provided the trigger for their first period of homelessness, often linked to alcohol abuse and ill health (for example Liam had a stroke very shortly after he left his family home). Some interviewees moved from the family home to bed and breakfasts but were not able to sustain the costs of this as a long term option and moved onto hostels or rough sleeping. For others (Sean and Leo) ‘particularly in a rural context’ it was long term neglect and deterioration of their respective family homes (caused by a combination of mental health issues and alcoholism respectively) that led to them finding themselves living in almost uninhabitable accommodation). Ben in contrast found himself effectively homeless when he returned to Dublin from Australia and was unable to find work. 84 The causes of these relationship breakdowns included marital infidelities, depression, alcoholism and gambling
Homelessness, Ageing and Dying
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