"I am going to die a homeless man."
The words of one man who became homeless more than five months ago after a relationship breakdown.
Tom, not his real name, was sleeping in his car for four months before getting a lodging with the MidWest Simon Community.
"I was sleeping rough in my car because I had nowhere else to go," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
He was sleeping in his car during the winter months, during the cold snap, and still going to his full-time job everyday.
"There's even some mornings I woke up crying because all my clothes would be damp after sleeping in the car," he said.
Tom said he was couch surfing with his family for a while but he felt it was unfair on them, so he lied and told them he found an apartment to rent, "but I was actually sleeping in my car because I didn't want to upset them."
"I was constantly moving around finding a safe and secure place for me to go sleep at night."
Sleeping in the car was an "absolute nightmare," Tom said, adding that he is also recovering from lung cancer.
"I was waking up every morning with the blankets wet, clothes were wet, so when I go into work, I take my clothes off, put them on the radiator to dry them," he said.
"I was constantly getting colds."
Tom said he would drive around his local area after work looking at car parks, judging where it might be suitable to stay for the night.
"I was constantly moving around finding a safe and secure place for me to go sleep at night."
He said he did not feel unsafe, he said he felt "embarrassed"
"If someone looked in and saw me sleeping in my car, I'd be more embarrassed."
Tom is a homeowner but left his house after a relationship breakdown. He said this means he feels he has little chance of getting housing support from the government.
"The rents around here are absolutely crazy. I don't know how anyone can afford the rents."
"Never in a million years would I ever think I'd be homeless."
Tom said in the homeless accommodation where he is now staying there are 17 people who are working and homeless.
"The rents around here are absolutely crazy. I don't know how anyone can afford the rents."
"I'm going to die a homeless man, because there's not a hope of me getting anywhere the way things are going at the moment," he said.
"That's how I feel...I'm going to die a homeless man, and I'm going to die a homeless man because I can't see in the future me getting anywhere."
Tom added that he feels safe and happy in the accommodation he is in now provided by MidWest Simon Community.
