10 January 2024 , 22:36
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A homeless woman has spoken of how she creid through freezing nights and admitted she "can't feel her feet" due to the biting cold.
In Exeter, temperatures are plummeting below zero, making the situation for rough sleepers life-threatening. While walking around the town centre, it's not possible to tell if the person laying in a stack of sleeping bags is awake, or even alive.
Outreach workers from local charity St Petrock's have been going aroung the city centre, offering advice and warmth to those force to be exposed to the freezing winter conditions. Homeless woman Rebecca Loughrey, 27, emerged from her self-made cocoon and eagerly accepted a hot drink and a warm wrapped-up sausage sandwich as she was greeted by two friendly outreach workers.
'Home' for Rebecca is currently lying outside the shopfront of Urban Outfitters along Exeter's busy High Street. She has been there for the past five nights. With a grim expression, she admits: "I can't feel my feet." Her next revelation is even more shocking. She said: "I have been so cold I don't know how I got through and woken up. I've got four sleeping bags but it's still not enough. I have been crying for the last two nights as it has been so cold.
"I don't do drugs like a lot of people on the streets and that makes it even more of a struggle to sleep. I feel unsafe at night but not during the day as the staff at Urban Outfitters have been amazing. They went to Primark to get me some fluffy blankets and bring me tea. If it was not for them and the outreach team at St Petrock's I don't think I would have survived. Simple things like a cup of coffee in the morning make such a big difference and being able to use the showers at St Petrock's to warm up."
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She's been bedding down under a mountain of sleeping bags (DevonLive)Rebecca has been offered a warm bed as part of Exeter City Council's Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) which was activated on January 5, according to Devon Live. It was initially in place until January 10, but has since been extended to next Monday, January 15, due to the continued cold spell.
The Protocol makes extra emergency accommodation available to rough sleepers, such as in hotels. However, Rebecca has so far declined the offer because she is struggling so much with her mental health and wants to go somewhere that she can remain when temperatures rise above sub-zero, rather than being evicted.
She said: "I was offered a bed at [Exeter homeless hostel] Gabriel House but what is the point of getting warm for a night and getting kicked out? They have not cared about me before until the weather gets cold and they are just doing it now to cover their own a**** if I die.
St Petrock's in Exeter's Cathedral Yard (Google)"They have extended the protocol today and have told me I can still go there but I'm a bit unsure because my mental health is through the roof. I want to be put into supported housing by the council instead of the problem just being brushed away."
Rebecca has been homeless on and off since she was 13 years old. She left home due to family circumstances and has had periods of sleeping rough in Exeter for around six years. One of her biggest lows was when she lost her son through adoption.
Rebecca recalled: "I fell pregnant five years ago and I managed to keep my son. I wasn't homeless and I was supported by social services who helped me. I turned my life around for my little boy for three years but I relapsed into drinking and I lost him and I have ended up back here.
"Being homeless is horrendous. It's not a life anyone wants. People say it gets easier because you get used to it - but it doesn't. Nothing gets easier."
According to St Petrock’s own internal monitoring statistics, there are currently around 30 people sleeping rough in Exeter. During a typical morning, the St Petrock's outreach team will support between 25 to 30 people out on the streets.