The One Big Sleep Out at Stormont: One small sleep for me but hopefully one giant leap towards tackling homelessness

Homelessness is a complex issue which most people shy away from.

I have been guilty of speed walking past huddled shapes hunkered down in doorways and side streets, head down, glancing at my phone rather than engaging with people who have clearly reached a crisis point in their lives.

Friday night, however, was an opportunity for me to confront this issue head-on to try and understand a little more about why people end up in such a position. The One Big Sleep Out, organised by the Simon Community NI, involves spending one night sleeping outside in order to raise awareness and funds but, more importantly, to try and gain insight into the reality of what it’s like to survive without the home comforts most of us take for granted.

The experience was more challenging than I had expected. The cold seems to seep into your bones - even with layers of thermals, blankets, a sleeping bag and tent for protection against the elements.

Martin Clunes: I can’t afford to retire – I’ve got too many horses

Why the small towns of Texas are the heart of the Lone Star State

It is impossible to get comfortable, despite having a roll mat, as the ground is hard and unforgiving. The walls of the tent drip with beads of condensation rendering everything damp and unpleasant. There is a continuous soundtrack of chatter, rustling and other indecipherable noises. It is unnerving hearing footsteps and breathing close to the tent and witnessing the random sweep of torchlight.

Of course, once I got home and stepped into a hot shower, most of the anxieties of the night melted away. I cannot imagine having to do this all the time – and in much more extreme circumstances than I faced.

This was emphasised during a series of fireside stories from frontline staff at the Simon Community. Mairead, who works at the Linen Court project in Armagh, says it was her experience of the One Big Sleep Out which encouraged her to become involved with the charity.

“Jim Dennison (Chief Executive of The Simon Community NI) was there and gave a speech about the first time he did his One Big Sleep Out and he said that when he woke up the next day he asked himself if he would be able to do this the next night, and the next night after,” she recalls.

“So when I woke up the next morning I turned to my husband and asked ‘Would you do this again tonight and the next night?’ and he said ‘No, I couldn’t’ which really stuck with me.”

While listening to the accounts from various members of staff, my eye was drawn to a board covered in multi-coloured house-shaped speech bubbles. Next to the board there was a laminated sheet that asked ‘What does home mean to you?’, which invited participants to write their own thoughts and feelings about ‘home’.

The board was littered with comments including ‘love’, ‘safety’, ‘warmth’, ‘contentment’ and ‘family’. This really resonated with me, particularly when measured against a startling statistic on how many people in Northern Ireland are experiencing homelessness to some degree.

Director of growth and engagement for the Simon Community, Harriett Roberts, explained: ”People are seeing it in their own families, their own networks, and they understand it’s much closer than any of us would want. Almost one-in-33 people are currently officially registered as homeless.

“If you think about it, in every classroom there is likely to be someone that’s experiencing homelessness right now.”

Recent research carried out by the Simon Community suggests as many as 80,000 are currently homeless in the north. This includes around 25,000 not in the system who are said to be experiencing “hidden homelessness”.

However, despite these statistics there is a real optimism which emanates from the team at the Simon Community. Their sense of commitment, camaraderie and positivity is infectious as they work towards achieving their goal of ending homelessness in Northern Ireland.

The Simon Community, most notably associated with providing temporary accommodation, offers a range of other mechanisms designed to help address homelessness.

As Harriett describes: “Really importantly, it’s not just a bed, it’s all the wraparound support they need – whether it’s stuff around mental health, housing support, benefits or addiction.

“So when somebody does slip into homelessness we give them the conditions for helping them to rebuild their lives.

“Increasingly, what we need to do is prevent homelessness from happening, so we are doing an awful lot of work to try and get to people before they become homeless - because we know if you become homeless once you are so much more likely to become homeless again. It’s a cycle.”

So far the Simon Community have provided around 525 deposits for people to access private rentals. Additionally, an initiative was launched in 2021 called ‘Creating Homes’, in which the charity buys houses that they can offer to those experiencing homelessness or who are at risk. To date, the NI branch has acquired 23 homes for this purpose.

This year’s Big Sleep Out was attended by around 180 participants, a considerable increase from previous years. It is hoped that going forward, this event will continue to grow and that more people will briefly step out of their comfort zone and realise that everyone has a role to play in helping eradicate homelessness.

The take-away feeling for me was one of hope as the Simon Community team is so passionate about achieving their objective.

I know it has certainly given me a greater understanding of how extensive the issue is, and it’s sobering to know that in reality anyone can find themselves only ‘two pay packets from the streets’.