But don’t people choose to be homeless?
A common myth is that people are homeless through choice. We accept that for a very few individuals that may be true, but the numbers are negligible. Outreach workers tell us that usually when someone says they prefer to sleep rough it is because they are frightened of change, or because they are suffering from mental illness. Assertive outreach and engagement is often successful in helping people come in from the cold.
Won’t having this target lead to coercion to achieve it?
We know that coercive approaches are not successful. But experience tells us that we should never give up on anyone. Assertive engagement works.
Won’t there always be at least a few homeless people at any time?
A few people may still become homeless in a crisis but this number will be very small and an effective safety net and services mean the time they are homeless will be minimised. No one should have to sleep rough.
But homelessness is only part of the problem for many people. You can’t solve everything.
There are some people whose complex needs and challenging behaviour mean that they get little or no help from public services. Most have had disturbed childhoods. Challenging behaviour often leads to people being evicted and/or excluded from services. Unable to hold down a tenancy, and often with few social or family ties, they often end up in hostels, prison or sleeping rough. Homelessness services are often the only places that try to help, but many are overwhelmed by the level of need, and this leads to high levels of evictions and abandonment from some hostels. But beacons of excellence demonstrate that, with careful design and adequate funding, services can help even the most chaotic people to move towards a better life.