Bitter Weather Causes Homeless Deaths Across Europe

Tue, 14 Feb 2012

The deaths caused by the recent cold snap deaths are inexcusable and should never be allowed to happen again

The cold snap which has had Europe in its frozen grip in recent weeks has created ethereal landscapes and brought snowboarders to the streets of Sarajevo. But it has not been fun for everyone.

The bitter cold has disrupted transport services, cut off power from thousands and left hundreds dead across Europe. Many countries have declared emergency situations. A few of the cold related-deaths have been tragic accidents, but some victims were elderly people while the majority were homeless. At least two homeless have died in France and one in the Netherlands. CNN reported on February 8th that 135 cold-related deaths have been recorded in Ukraine and 50 in Poland over recent weeks. Most of these people were found on the streets.

The real figures are probably higher than those that have been released, since many old and homeless people are alone. Often nobody notices if they die. Some of them may be smuggled immigrants or failed asylum seekers, people who are just not on the radar of the countries they are in.

It is so cold in Ukraine that 1,500 birds had to be freed when they froze to the ice in a small harbour near the port of Odessa. Authorities in Ukraine have now set up 3000 heating stations which provide tea and food for visitors but social workers say the death toll will rise if people do not have a heated place to sleep. Many sleeping rough do not even know where to go for help.

The reaction by the Ukraine government is too little too late. Sufficient measures that ensure homeless people have warm overnight shelter with access to hot food should be taken every winter as a matter of course. Vulnerable people must be made aware that help exists and all this needs to happen early and in every European country, before the cold sets in.

Most importantly, this help must be without prejudice or judgement. Some shelters deny access to those in inebriated states and many exclude dogs, which is ridiculous and shameful. For many people on the streets, dogs are loyal friends who provide essential protection and companionship. A significant proportion of homeless people have drug or alcohol related addictions, usually a cause or symptom of their situation. This of course poses problems for shelters and others that use them, but this should not be an excuse for leaving people out in the cold. Inebriation is actually a good reason to allow somebody into a shelter, since alcohol is often implicated in cold related deaths.

It will cost money of course to make such changes, but even in these times of famous austerity, this money must be found. To frame it in more practical (or cynical) terms, money spent on improving support can be offset against money spent by hospitals who look after homeless hypothermia sufferers who cannot pay for themselves, so it will not even be that expensive.

Current government thinking often appears to overlook the homeless. According to public health information available on the European Commission website, high-risk groups needing special attention during cold spells are the elderly, children and people suffering from certain diseases. Homeless people are not mentioned.

Further proof that politicians do not take the plight of homeless people seriously came at the weekend when French junior minister Nora Berra wrote on her blog that ‘toddlers, old people, the sick and homeless are particularly vulnerable in times of extreme cold and should avoid going outdoors.’ While she is obviously not so stupid as to really believe that homeless people can easily choose to stay inside, this careless comment shows how little thought she gave to the subject.

People are often unwilling to help the homeless because they are sometimes addicts, because they do not work or pay taxes. It goes without saying that many homeless people are on the streets because they have been failed by state institutions. Even if they are there because they made bad decisions or because of bad luck, the reason is no longer relevant when they are facing a lonely death from hyperthermia. That so many have died of cold because they are homeless is unacceptable and should never happen again.

by Kate Suttle