For many people, their experience of homelessness is mercifully short lived. Family or friends help most over this temporary blip in their lives. For others, something as straightforward as a rent deposit is all they require. However, for significant numbers, the road back to a settled home is long and risky.
Homeless people with more complex problems need longer term support to get their lives back on track. They need a place to stay that gives them stability and encouragement to begin the process of change. Working with a keyworker they can find confidence and motivation to tackle the issues that might be holding them back: addiction, mental or physical illness, perhaps deep loneliness. They can get back in touch with family and make new friends. They can rediscover old skills and learn new ones. They can make up for missed education or train for a job. Most can then move back towards independence, with confidence in themselves but also with people to turn to when they need it. All this depends, of course, on the right elements being in place at the right time.
Others, with higher needs, can make the move into long term care (see section on support). Many services help people escape homelessness entirely - even people whose problems have been intense.
"After his relationship broke down Steve says he “totally lost the plot” and spent five years sleeping rough or living in crack houses. He was in a terrible state when he arrived here - quite scary looking with half his teeth missing.
"This place gave him the “head space” he needed. What bothered him most was never seeing his nine-year-old daughter. He used to save up money to buy her a present then would blow it all on drugs. When he told me that he was sobbing - he really hated himself. We got him on a drug programme and eventually resettled him.
"Last week I bumped into him walking down the high street, hand in hand with his daughter. I didn’t even recognise him until he said hello. He said he’s working full time now in a project helping addicts, and sees his daughter every weekend.
"As we said goodbye he gave me a huge grin – he had all his teeth back!’"
Hostel manager, East London.