A homeless woman whose two pals were murdered says she fears she will end up dead if she has to sleep rough again.
Carrie Bridgdale first ended up on the streets when she was 17 and has been without a roof over her head for 12 years.
The former heroin addict fears she won’t make it if she ends up homeless – having repeatedly been spat at, verbally abused and viciously assaulted in the past.
Carrie, who is sleeping on a friend’s couch, told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “If I go back on the streets I know I will be back on the devil’s drug once again and that will be the end of me.
“Any homeless person who drinks or does drugs doesn’t want to do it, we do it to pass away the day, to take our mind off what is going on because the situation is so painful.
“There would be a lot more deaths if it wasn’t an option as people would be taking their own lives because they are so depressed. Getting out of our heads is a coping mechanism.”
The Ennis native, who is now based in Cork, is sleeping at a pal’s house after slipping a disk in her back.
However, the temporary arrangement is due to come to an end as the property's landlord has asked her to leave.
The 29-year-old now fears going back to life on the streets after years of attacks and verbal abuse.
She added: “I was viciously assaulted a year ago and had my eye socket broken by two men. I have been regularly spat at and beaten on several occasions. It’s gotten so dangerous compared to how it used to be. I fear I will end up like Timmy and Frankie, who I was very close with.”
Timmy Hourihane, 50, was found unresponsive beside his burning tent on the Mardyke Walk in the city in October 2019.
He had been the victim of a prolonged and vicious attack and was found badly beaten. He was later pronounced dead.
Two months later, tragic Francis “Frankie” Dunne was found decapitated in a derelict house on Boreenmanna Road on Saturday 28 December 2019.
The 64-year-old homeless man’s death sent shockwaves through the community.
Carrie said: “They were harmless souls who didn’t and wouldn’t hurt a fly. Both men were great to have the banter with and neither deserved the deaths they had.
"Incidents like that is why I prefer to stay on my own when sleeping rough. I prefer to sleep in an open area with good lighting and cameras.
“Even though I’m a woman I think sleeping in crowds can sometimes lead to arguments due to people being drunk or high. I don’t want to be the next victim.”
Facing her twelfth year on the housing list, Carrie’s current situation has left her separated from her three young children who she longs to be with.
The distraught mum blames the housing crisis for not being able to see them.
She added: “They are being cared for by my mother. I may get to see them once a month. All I want to do is to be able to put my children to bed at night and I am giving up hope that will ever be a possibility.”
