Metres away from an illuminated Christmas tree in Enniskillen where hundreds of people gathered at the weekend to mark the turning on of the Christmas lights sits a man with two bags and a sleeping bag around his neck, nestled in a doorway on the Diamond.

A man sleeping rough in County Fermanagh has opened up about the physical and emotional toll of being without a home and a roof over his head.

Lee Warde, originally from County Galway has been sleeping outside intermittently since June, he occasionally stays with people who offer him a sofa for a night.

He says he has been “in Enniskillen, bits and pieces” and “sometimes I meet old pals and they take me for a spin or whatever.”

Mr. Warde was sleeping outside when Storm Bert braced Fermanagh, he explained: “I have been out the last four nights now, I am out since Thursday and today is Monday. I had a couch on Wednesday night.”

The rain falls gently as he speaks to this newspaper, sheltering in a doorway, when asked how the situation came about he said: “How did I come to this, when I separated from the wife, things went downhill with work, it is like that shower [of rain] now, it was constant with drips and drabs.

Mr. Warde was resting with two bags beside him and showed this newspaper some of what he carried: “I have other things left in places, I have sandwiches, I like reading but I have no book. I have no book now and I have been asking people for old newspapers or books as I like reading.

“I like to take my head away from things to positive stuff.  My mission today is to get a book.

“I have a phone and I charge it in the bookies and there is a coffee shop down there and they kind of know me and let me charge it for a while and when I get a couch for the night I charge it there.”

He was seeking support from a charity in Enniskillen, First Housing when The Impartial Reporter spoke to him, he explained: “I am going to go down to First Housing today and see what the story is. I am not good at filling in forms but they will help you, there are very good people down there.”  The Housing Executive have a statutory responsibility to address homelessness and Mr. Warde was asked if he had liaised with the government body.

“I have to, they [first housing] are going to help me out with things like that. I was hoping things would change and things would be different.”

When speaking to this newspaper, he did not know where he was going to sleep that night but commented that the cold was deeply affecting him. He said: “The cold has kind of gone into my bones.”

He added: “It is good to be alive, it is good to be able to walk and talk, what can I say? I want things to change, I don’t want my life to keep going like this.

Maria Thompson, Floating Support Co-ordinator at First Housing Enniskillen commented on the issue of rough sleeping and the toll it can take on people.  She said: “Having done The Big Sleep Out over the last few years we have experienced first-hand some of the issues faced by anyone forced to sleep rough during the winter months.   “How the cold seeps into your body affecting your physical and mental well-being, making it difficult to carry out the simplest of movements.  How your mind becomes disorientated by the cold, but you are afraid or unable to go to sleep because your vulnerability is significantly increased and fears for your personal safety are heightened.   “It is a lonely and frightening experience and the reason why so many people who sleep rough self-medicate.  The Housing Executive have the statutory responsibility to address homelessness.

“If anyone is in the position of having to sleep rough they should go to the Housing Executive or First Housing during office hours.  “Outside of office hours, the Housing Executive can be reached on their emergency helpline - 03448 920 908.”