Who is homeless?

' "Imagine my surprise," the former policewoman turned hostel manager said to me, "when I walked into the room to find my former police chief among the clients." '

Jenny Edwards, Homeless Link

Homelessness can affect anyone – doctors, chief executives, builders, architects, teachers or artists. Every walk of life includes people who have been homeless in the past and have gone on to success and happiness.

The truth is that any of us could become homeless.

But you are more likely to become homeless if you:

• were in care as a child or had a disturbed childhood
• have a mental illness or addiction
• have been in the armed forces
• have spent time in prison
• are black or from another minority ethnic community
• have migrated to this country from Eastern or Central Europe or arrived as an asylum seeker.

CHECKLIST

• Add homelessness prevention to the agenda for my discussions with my local council, PCT and Children’s Trust.
• Find out what we are doing to prevent the next generation becoming homeless.
• Check if people are getting the right advice, help and support at the right time.
• what does my casework tell me?

On top of ‘personal’ factors there are ‘structural’ factors, wider problems in society, that increase the risk of homelessness:

• shortage of affordable accommodation
• unemployment
• low incomes
• debt
• the welfare benefits system
• trends in residential care and community care
• migration – e.g. economic migrants from accession states, refugees

OF ROUGH SLEEPERS IN LONDON:

• 12 per cent have been in care.
• 6 per cent have been in the armed forces.
• 42 per cent have been in prison.
• Between 30 and 50 per cent of rough sleepers have mental health needs, and most had these needs before they became homeless.
• 15 per cent of people using homelessness services in London are A8 nationals.

OF STATUTORY HOMELESS HOUSEHOLDS:

• 8 per cent are vulnerable due to mental illness.
• 21 per cent of statutory homeless households are from black and other minority communities compared with 7 per cent of the overall population.