Introduction to Homelessness

Homelessness can be defined as one of the following housing situations:

• Without any accommodation e.g. sleeping rough.
• In temporary accommodation e.g. a shelter, hostel, B+B, squat.
• Staying temporarily with friends or relatives who are either unable or unwilling to provide accommodation in the longer term.

What causes Homelessness?

There is no one single cause of homelessness, or any single description of a homeless person. However, there are several factors, which can lead to people being more vulnerable to losing their accommodation.

Lack of availability of affordable housing

Rent for both private and public housing have increased dramatically, making it hard for tenants on a low income to meet their rent requirements. House prices too have risen, and there has been a rise in the number of properties being repossessed.

Institutionalisation

Some people who leave institutions, such as the army or prison, or who have been in care as children, and move into their own accommodation struggle to look after themselves. This may be due to a lack of life skills, such as budgeting or cooking, emotional difficulties or loneliness and a lack of social support networks.

Mental Health Problems

Although mental health problems are not necessarily a direct cause of homelessness, they can contribute towards an individual having difficulties in maintaining a tenancy.

Substance Misuse

Again, although drug and alcohol problems may not be the direct cause, they can certainly be implicated in the reasons why an individual becomes homeless. Substance Misuse can also prevent them from successfully maintaining a new tenancy.

Life Crises

Events such as bereavement, family breakdown and job loss can all lead to feelings of depression, isolation and loneliness. All of these can contribute to people being unable to cope and losing their accommodation.

The reasons why someone becomes homeless can be very complex, involving a combination of factors, which will be different for each individual. So, to help someone in this situation requires a mix of services which help the individual to address their needs; a roof over their head will be just one of these. CRASH works with homelessness charities across the UK that strive to deliver solutions to these multiple needs.

Homelessness - the political agenda

The fall in the number of rough sleepers and the impact of the Homelessness Act 2002 has led many charities in the sector to reconsider the scope and purpose of their activities. The Act obliged Local Authorities to carry out a review of statutory and non-statutory homeless figures in their area. They then developed a strategy to tackle the issues. The reduction in rough sleeping has led many organisations to re-focus on prevention work and several of the large national charities, such as Crisis and Shelter, are increasing their activity at local level. Meanwhile, locally based agencies are having to consider how to increase their capacity to work with their Local Authority, especially as the guidance issued with the Homelessness Act requires the Local Authority to include the voluntary groups working with homeless people in their consultations as they develop and deliver their strategy. More about the Act can be found at Shelter web site.

Homelessness and Housing Support Directorate

The Government has also set up a Homelessness and Housing Support Directorate within the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG), that brings together various initiatives. The Directorate incorporates the work of the Bed and Breakfast Unit; the introduction, monitoring and evaluation of the homelessness legislation; the production of the National Homelessness Strategy; the role of the Rough Sleepers Unit and manages the Supporting People programme which helps vulnerable people live independently in their accommodation. Further information about the Directorate is available on the CLG web site.

The latest official homelessness statistics are now available.

Affordable Housing Unit

Increasing the supply of affordable housing is key to tackling homelessness in high demand areas. The Affordable Housing Unit has been established in the Government Office for London. It works closely with the Homelessness Directorate.

Homelessness Act

After years of campaigning by the homelessness voluntary sector, a specific Homelessness Bill was enacted in February 2002. It broadened the categories of vulnerable people to whom Local Authorities have duty of care, but still left old people and pregnant women outside the net. CRASH will continue to highlight the needs of all homeless people and seek to ensure appropriate care is available.

Homelessness - Scotland

The Scottish Executive has a Homelessness Task Force chaired by the Social Justice Minister. This has developed a radical approach to both prevention and alleviation of homelessness including eradication of priority needs and intentionality.

[Intentionality: When someone leaves without a valid reason, for example is evicted as a troublesome neighbour who may also have an anti-social behaviour order placed on them stopping them returning to the area. (or)

If they steadfastly refuse to accept offers of accommodation. Or the entrenched rough sleeper who trys to "come in" gets a flat and then leaves because he is unable to be restricted within four walls. (or)

Eviction for rent arears - frail, old single people can lose the plot when the bureaucracy around their benefits becomes a problem, they fall into arrears and then get an eviction notice.]

Homelessness - Wales

The Welsh Assembly created a Homelessness Commission to advice its policy and it has voted significant sums of money to Local Authorities to assist in developing appropriate strategies.

Research

Both the Scottish Homelessness Task Force and the Homelessness Commission in Wales have relied on the JRF/CRASH "Review of Single Homelessness Research" to inform their proceedings. Both bodies have commissioned research to plug some of the gaps identified in the Review. In England the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, in conjunction with CRASH and other homelessness agencies sent a letter advocating similar work is put in hand by the the Department of Communities and Local Government's Research and Policy Unit. This has resulted in research being commissioned in black and minority ethnic (BME) homelessness, one of the gaps identified in the JRF/CRASH Review of Single Homelessness Research published in 2000.

CRASH is supporting the work of Homeless Link, the national "umbrella" organisation, who have created a Homelessness Research Forum. This will become a repository and resource on homelessness research, seek to identify research gaps, co-ordinate research effort and develop best practices in the field.

Where to go next for more information

We've collected links to other web sites if you want to find out more about homelessness.