How was it? The Sleep Out!
Sister Ruth O’Neill, a Daughter of Charity working with asylum
seekers in Cardiff, sent this account of a recent Home4U Sleep-Out
that she was part of . The Sleep Out had a twofold purpose: To raise
awareness about the plight of asylum seekers and to fund raise for
those destitute asylum
seekers living on the poverty line.
Remember Thursday night, 23rd October, how wet and windy it was?
Well, that’s the night the five Home 4U team members - Frances,
Helen, Isaac, Steven and Ruth-slept out on Queens Street, Cardiff.
After a dry start to the day it had been raining for a few hours and
as late evening set in it was …
pouring down
! We came along clad with raincoats, umbrellas, and plastic sheeting
to protect our cardboard as well as clutching print-outs of
encouraging emails. Local homeless people advised us about the
warmest, driest and safer spots in the centre if the rain continued.
We stood around under the shelter of a shop which tipped rain on us
mercilessly from the drainpipe when the wind blew that way. Visitors
came with their support,
including the chocolate kind,
as well as lovely food. At about 9.30pm “Paradise Run” who had been
serving food to homeless people during the evening, moved to Queens
St. went the extra mile serving hot food and drinks to us too. At
this point we were a cosy group of about 20 including Julie Morgan
MP [Lab.] and Jenny Willot AM [Lib Dem]. We were impressed that the
rain had not discouraged them at the end of their busy days. We
received very encouraging messages also from Leanne Woods MP [Plaid
Cymru] and from Jenny Randerson MP [Lib Dem] who had prepared a
press release. DPIA [Displaced People in Action] also came along to
offer their support as did students representing STAR [Students
supporting Asylum Seekers and Refugees]. Though the purpose had not
been to attract other ‘sleepers’ but for the Home 4U team members to
do the sleeping out, two asylum seekers were outstanding in their
support staying with us the whole night, while others came and went,
encouraging us.
Once most people had drifted off home, we decided to move to a drier
spot on the opposite side of Queen St. Totally focused on dry
patches of floor we did not take great notice of which shop front we
had chosen. Soon a passer-by made an obvious bee-line for us to
enquire …. ‘Were we about to lose our jobs at the Halifax [where we
were sitting] due to the credit crisis, and fearing destitution? !
It was an opportunity to explain what we
were
about. The lady enquiring was a Councillor in London. Our next
visitors included a student reporter and a little later a
photographer from the student newspaper.
Time flew by, mostly with no sleep and soon it was 3 o‘clock in the
morning. Irfan, a refugee, arrived with a welcome cup of tea and
another visitor, an asylum seeker woken up by Irfan to come and
support us! Young people continued to wander home along Queen St.
and to stop and talk to us on the way. They had varying levels of
knowledge about immigration issues and asylum and were keen to find
out our opinions and arguments. They challenged us on the way we had
chosen to try raise awareness and many argued that the media was the
only means of influencing public opinion. Some offered contact
details to receive further information.
Sadly we met other homeless and destitute people in the course of
the night too. One was a young Polish boy who had been homeless for
6 months, mostly sleeping on the streets. Another, was a destitute
asylum seeker managing by working illegally, what choice has he? …
and he donated £10 and encouraged us. Text messages of support had
come frequently through the night and even at 5am an offer: ‘Could
come down, do you need anything?’ At 7 am we gladly left Queens St
and went into City Church who had kindly given us keys to get a cup
of tea and without much delay we each went off to warm, comfortable
and welcoming homes.