Sparing a Thought For the Homeless

Hello!

So, this evening in Edinburgh, it's -6 degrees celsius, and dropping. And it's on nights like this when the sheer number of homeless people in Edinburgh horrifies me, it makes me feel sick to my stomach to think that there are hundreds of people that have to, through no fault of their own in most cases, sit on the hard concrete and freeze, and be scared to sleep, and have damp seep into what little they have, and to get ill... Now, homelessness has upset me for many years, and upset me even more since I moved here but sometimes, like tonight, I get home after speaking to one of them, trying to comfort them as best I can, and I sit on my bed and cry. Because I can't save any of them, I can only listen to their stories and donate what I can, but still I feel it's not enough.

So, before I get onto the angry ramble, what triggered this post? Tonight I went out with the trampolining team to the Edinburgh Christmas Market. We were absolutely frozen but happy in the knowledge that we could go home if we couldn't stand the cold anymore - how lucky we are. On George Street I spotted a shivering bundle of a woman. Her name was Lorraine and she was trying to raise money to stay in a hostel that night. She was shivering violently and trying desperately not to cry because she was so unbearably cold. I gave her what I could and told her anxiously that she was going to be ok... But how the hell do I know if she's going to be ok? What a ridiculous thing to say. So, I started writing this because I couldn't get the image of her out of my head, like so many others I've come to know.

There's Donna who frequents the space outside Old College. She has a son, and grandchildren but doesn't want to move in with them because she's frightened of being a burden.. and she'd never get accommodation of her own that way, she says. I've given her bus fares and biscuits before but it's not enough as I know she has a chest infection and she's not exactly young. I think of her often, wondering how she's coping as she suffers with anxiety, much like myself.

Then there's Brian, who's lost his gloves. His health is deteriorating and I was meaning to buy him some new ones but worryingly, I've not seen him lately. I dread to think where he is...

Then Kelsie, the young woman who apparently gets her cup of coppers kicked over everyday by people not watching where they're going, flinching if you move too quickly near her - I've not dared to ask what happened to her to make her be so jumpy.

And Richard, who I got to know a lot in first year as he hung out near Sciennes, who I saw with horrible bruises after he bumped into the wrong people. I haven't seen him in a long time, but I think of him a lot.

There are others but the ones I've mentioned above are who I think of most. And there are hundreds upon hundreds more. And what makes me so fucking angry (sorry Mum) is that people just walk past. Just treat these poor people like they're nothing. Well, I just want to say to people who think they're nothing, that these people have names, and stories, and they feel things just like everyone else. These people will probably be alone in the cold whilst you're celebrating Christmas, dying on the streets invisible to far too many.

I'm not saying you should start a charity, or that I do enough, or that I am an example. I just wanted to point these people out. Please give them what you can, even if that's just a bit of time. Winter and Christmas time should be about humanity and good will, please don't forget about those shivering outside in the cold.

Obviously donate to the people themselves, and charities such as Shelter, but I just wanted to point you in the direction of StreetLink. Using this website, you can alert someone about a rough sleeper you're concerned about. https://streetlink.force.com

I'm sorry for being droopy but it's so important.

Lots of Love,

Sarah xxx

Today's Track: Will Varley - 'King For a King'