{"id":67258,"date":"2023-12-14T12:56:20","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T12:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=67258"},"modified":"2024-02-15T13:55:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T13:55:48","slug":"why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Joy to all men? Why Christmas is such a dangerous time to be homeless in Cardiff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Christmas is a time of generosity, with shoppers and people celebrating flocking to the city centre, but what about the locals that usually make the pavements their home?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-67259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-770x385.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-1366x683.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-1170x585.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-1400x700.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-67259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-770x385.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-1366x683.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-1170x585.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy-1400x700.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/tents-copy.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Rough sleeping in Cardiff city centre. Image credit: Hansa Tote <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">St John Street in Cardiff is transformed into a replica Lapland for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cardiffchristmasmarket.com\/\">Christmas markets<\/a> from 10 November until 23 December. The stalls provide shoppers the chance to splash the cash, do their gift buying, indulge in festive food, and warm up with a mulled wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A mere stone\u2019s throw away from the lavish markets, hidden away like a secret are many homeless people, sleeping rough in the freezing temperatures. These men and women sit and watch people spend with frivolity while being ignored and looked straight through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In October 2023, Cardiff Council\u2019s cabinet member for housing and communities Councillor Lynda Thorne was quoted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walesonline.co.uk\/news\/wales-news\/homelessness-cardiff-to-worse-coming-27999291\">Wales Online<\/a> stating homelessness is going to get a lot worse before it gets better and recent statistics have proven her correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From 2020 until 2022, Wales suspended the rough sleeper count due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.wales\/homelessness-accommodation-provision-and-rough-sleeping-august-2023#:~:text=The%20national%20rough%20sleeper%20count,to%20the%20COVID%2D19%20pandemic.\">Chief Statistician<\/a> also deciding not to restart it in 2023 due to a lack of data availability. Instead, monthly management statistics have replaced it, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.wales\/homelessness-accommodation-provision-and-rough-sleeping-september-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">latest figures<\/a> from Welsh government estimating 135 <a href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/05\/welsh-charity-report-will-help-neurodivergent-people-access-homelessness-support\/\">rough sleepers<\/a> in Wales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data collected from 2 November showed that there were 45 rough sleepers in Cardiff, but now the number is \u201cCloser to 60\u201d the councillor stated. This is double the number from the end of September, when the number of rough sleepers was 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of September 2023, Cardiff had the second-largest population of rough sleepers in Wales, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.wales\/homelessness-accommodation-provision-and-rough-sleeping-september-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">second only to Newport<\/a>, which has five more people sleeping on the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>Donna, a homeless woman, said the biggest challenge she faces over the Christmas period is trying to get people to be nice<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">It\u2019s the most dangerous time of the year<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Christmas is an especially dangerous time of year to be sleeping rough according to Thorne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She attributed the rise in danger not only to the below freezing temperatures, but also the increased foot traffic through the city with people visiting the city centre to celebrate the festive season. The councillor said not all the visitors are \u201cVery benevolent\u201d, and some, when they\u2019ve had too much to drink can be quite abusive to rough sleepers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The increased number of opportunities for people to get drunk over the festive season heightens the risk of intoxicated people abusing Cardiff\u2019s homeless population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dean, (who chose not to disclose his last name) has been rough sleeping in a tent for just over three months following a stint in prison that left him without a home or a car. It also meant he lost his job as a painter and decorator.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dean has been a victim of the violence against rough sleepers, stating the other day a woman booted him in the face. It was \u201cOn purpose! She was drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Donna, a homeless woman, said the biggest challenges she faces over the Christmas period is \u201cTrying to get people to be nice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The freezing temperatures also pose an enormous threat to rough sleepers over winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 27 November, Cardiff-based man Richard O\u2019Brien sadly died. He was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walesonline.co.uk\/news\/wales-news\/last-interview-rough-sleeper-found-28263079\">third<\/a> rough sleeper to die in the city in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His friend and fellow rough sleeper Gary Mason told Wales Online that he tried to warm O\u2019Brien up, but unfortunately it was too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The homeless charity <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simononthestreets.co.uk\/news\/the-seasonal-challenges-of-being-homeless\">Simon On The Streets<\/a> says that for many rough sleepers, pre-existing health conditions are made worse in winter due to the cold weather. They also state that some people go to potentially dangerous measures to escape the cold, such as swapping sex for a bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Watch the explainer video below<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"sbi-embed-wrap\"><blockquote class=\"instagram-media sbi-embed\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/C01WjfCsxdn\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/C01WjfCsxdn\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/C01WjfCsxdn\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Hansa (@hansatotejourno)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The impact of the Christmas markets<\/h5>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"410\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-410x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-67331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-410x1024.jpg 410w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-120x300.jpg 120w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-770x1925.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-307x768.jpg 307w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-432x1080.jpg 432w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-720x1800.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-293x733.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"410\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-410x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-67331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-410x1024.jpg 410w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-120x300.jpg 120w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-770x1925.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-307x768.jpg 307w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-432x1080.jpg 432w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-720x1800.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic-293x733.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Ivory-Sky-Blue-Collage-Mental-Health-Data-Infographic.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">St John Street and the surrounding area is usually where many rough sleepers make their place of residence, so the markets leave many having to find other areas to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dean stated the hardest part about being homeless in winter is finding somewhere to stay for the night, and the Christmas markets make this issue worse due to them spanning entire streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dean said \u201cIt\u2019s horrible, especially when you haven\u2019t got nothing [sic]\u201d spending all day watching people spend their money in the Christmas markets. The former decorator said that with the increased foot traffic \u201cSo many people look down\u201d on him, taking a toll on his mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another rough sleeper named Tony (who also chose not to give his last name) feels the same. He said he struggles to understand how people can carelessly spend their money but \u201cCan\u2019t even be bothered to throw me one pence.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Freedom of Information request found Cardiff Council received \u00a325,000 from the Christmas markets in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the council doing?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Cardiff Council is also working alongside homeless charities such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/thewallich.com\/\">Wallich<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huggard.org.uk\/\">Huggard<\/a> Day Centre doing outreach work, providing mental health support, counselling, and advice for those sleeping rough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cardiff Council is trying to help as many rough sleepers as possible get into temporary accommodation. Dean and his friend Sanchez say they were offered beds at the Huggard, but they feel safer sleeping on the streets. \u201cNobody wants to stay at hostels because you\u2019ve got to sleep with two eyes open.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-67297\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-1024x512.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-770x385.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-1366x683.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-1170x585.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-1400x700.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-67297\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-1024x512.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-770x385.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-1366x683.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-1170x585.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep-1400x700.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/homeless-man-asleep.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\">What can you do to help the homeless this winter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Make and distribute care packages. Find out what to include <a href=\"https:\/\/showmycrafts.com\/homeless-care-package\/#:~:text=During%20winter%2C%20warm%20socks%2C%20hats,especially%20water%20in%20hot%20weather.\">here<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be kind! A warm smile is always welcome. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Donate food and warm clothes to food banks. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buy a magazine such as the Big Issue or Dope from them. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Donate to charities trying to tackle homelessness. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reach out to organisations such as StreetLink who might be able to help rough sleepers get off the streets for good. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christmas is a time of generosity, with shoppers and people celebrating flocking to the city centre, but what about the locals that usually make the area their place of residence?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":67325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7087,7936],"tags":[269,448,409,8055],"coauthors":[7927],"class_list":["post-67258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-long-reads","category-public-life","tag-cardiff-council","tag-christmas","tag-homelessness","tag-rough-sleeping"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter? Drunk people pose a threat alongside the weather and increased foot traffic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter? Drunk people pose a threat alongside the weather and increased foot traffic.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"alt.cardiff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-14T12:56:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-02-15T13:55:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Dean-and-Sanchez_fi2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hansa Tote\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@hansatotejourno\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hansa Tote\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/\",\"name\":\"why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Dean-and-Sanchez_fi2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-14T12:56:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-15T13:55:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#\/schema\/person\/50c024020b3eb42aa8a9419a57f7b8fc\"},\"description\":\"Why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter? Drunk people pose a threat alongside the weather and increased foot traffic.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Dean-and-Sanchez_fi2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Dean-and-Sanchez_fi2.jpg\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":750},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Joy to all men? Why Christmas is such a dangerous time to be homeless in Cardiff\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/\",\"name\":\"alt.cardiff\",\"description\":\"If it\u2019s offbeat and in Cardiff then it\u2019s online here.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#\/schema\/person\/50c024020b3eb42aa8a9419a57f7b8fc\",\"name\":\"Hansa Tote\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/0431408b8a27704071deffe0142744c2\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/10\/avatar_user_1031_1698161390-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/10\/avatar_user_1031_1698161390-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Hansa Tote\"},\"description\":\"Hansa is a trainee magazine journalist at Cardiff University with an interest in food, travel and culture\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hansatotejourno\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/hansatotejourno\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/author\/toteh\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter","description":"Why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter? Drunk people pose a threat alongside the weather and increased foot traffic.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter","og_description":"Why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter? Drunk people pose a threat alongside the weather and increased foot traffic.","og_url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/","og_site_name":"alt.cardiff","article_published_time":"2023-12-14T12:56:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-02-15T13:55:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1500,"height":750,"url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Dean-and-Sanchez_fi2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Hansa Tote","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@hansatotejourno","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hansa Tote","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/","name":"why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Dean-and-Sanchez_fi2.jpg","datePublished":"2023-12-14T12:56:20+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-15T13:55:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#\/schema\/person\/50c024020b3eb42aa8a9419a57f7b8fc"},"description":"Why it is so dangerous to be homeless in winter? Drunk people pose a threat alongside the weather and increased foot traffic.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Dean-and-Sanchez_fi2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/12\/Dean-and-Sanchez_fi2.jpg","width":1500,"height":750},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/14\/why-it-is-so-dangerous-to-be-homeless-in-winter\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Joy to all men? Why Christmas is such a dangerous time to be homeless in Cardiff"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/","name":"alt.cardiff","description":"If it\u2019s offbeat and in Cardiff then it\u2019s online here.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#\/schema\/person\/50c024020b3eb42aa8a9419a57f7b8fc","name":"Hansa Tote","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/0431408b8a27704071deffe0142744c2","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/10\/avatar_user_1031_1698161390-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/10\/avatar_user_1031_1698161390-96x96.jpg","caption":"Hansa Tote"},"description":"Hansa is a trainee magazine journalist at Cardiff University with an interest in food, travel and culture","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hansatotejourno\/","https:\/\/x.com\/hansatotejourno"],"url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/author\/toteh\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67258"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67554,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67258\/revisions\/67554"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67258"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=67258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}