Housed but still hurting
Helping people who are sleeping out on the streets is one of our core jobs but by far most of the work we do through services such as social work, addiction counselling, day programmes, community hubs, and foodbank is with people who are housed.
Here is a glimpse at the daily life of thousands of Cantabrians who will be steeling themselves to get through another winter. Imagine this was your winter!
Power on, power off
Some people just turn on the power one day a week to save on power costs. Others will only heat one room and will live in it alone to save power. That room will always be sealed with no ventilation and winter literally becomes huddling together until the warmer months arrive.
Noodles once again
Costs soar in winter and food has the lowest priority when power bills and rent come first. Sometimes meals are skipped, especially by the mum making sure there is something for the kids. Diets are bad in winter, the season when you need good food most of all. Many of our clients eat a lot of instant noodles – $5 buys you 5 meals.
Damp, damp, damp
When it rains everyone gets wet and our clients try to dry clothes in a house that is underheated or not heated. Clothes and shoes are dried on clothes horses in the same room they live in and the air is thick with dampness and condensation. If heat can be afforded, it will usually be from a cheap gas heater which add more dampness to the air. Damp means being cold and it creates chronic health problems and misery.
All in together
Poverty-hit families walk if they need to go anywhere. That includes taking the kids to school. In really bad weather, many kids are kept home rather than trudging through the rain for 20 minutes because they don’t have wet weather clothes and they can’t get dry. Lack of transportation hurts families in so many ways and their life can dwindle down to a small bubble of existence in an underheated room. What grows bigger are mental health problems.
In pain? Have a drink
Toothache? Our clients can’t afford a dentist, so some will use alcohol to dull the pain. If they have a medical problem, they will leave it as long as possible to get help because they can’t afford to see a doctor. When things get really bad, they will go to ED at the hospital in a bus if they can afford it.
Bedtime is all day long
Lying in bed all day saves money on heating. Climbing in a sleeping bag on the couch does the same job. It costs money to move more than you must.