There are presently around 250,000 homeless people in England (this includes rough sleepers, sofa-surfers and people living in temporary bed-and-breakfast accommodation). It’s important to know that homeless people can still claim benefits, even with no fixed address. Alas, the media and often politicians give out false information, making some believe that most homeless people are alcoholics and drug addicts, who choose to live on the streets.
The best solution to help homeless people is obviously to find stable accommodation for homeless people, so they can give themselves and their dogs a home.
If you see someone sleeping rough, the best help is to send a report to StreetLink, an organisation that has local outreach teams that mostly visit rough sleepers at night, to alert them of support to find benefits and accommodation (if the person is under 18, call 999).
Homelessness is a pressing issue that affects many people in various communities. Despite its prevalence, there’s often a lack of understanding about what leads to homelessness and the myths that surround it. By shedding light on these aspects, we can foster a more compassionate society and work towards effective solutions.
They Just Need To Get a Job is a book by someone who works with homeless people, and wishes to counteract the destructive information that most people who live on the streets cause their own problems.
Drawing on her deep legal knowledge and decades of working with homeless people, she shows that the main cause is actually lack of investment in affordable housing with proven solutions already working by visionary councils. Although this is a US-based book, it works well here too, looking to debunk 15 myths for both urban and rural areas.
Reasons Why Most People End Up Homeless
It’s only by knowing why people become homeless, that we can take steps to end this fiasco, of a quarter of a million people having no place to call home.
First of all, know that there are three types of homelessness:
- Chronic is when people never have a place to sleep.
- Transitional is when peolpe are temporarily between homes
- Episodic is when people move in and out of shelters
People who live in bed-and-breakfasts or surf on sofas (or who move in and out of shelters) don’t really have much more stability than someone living on the streets, which is why it’s just as important to to help them, so they don’t end up sleeping in doorways too.
The most common reasons why people are homeless are:
High rents: In recent years, the rental market has soared in price (often as home owners have found their mortgage rates soar). For instance, Lizz Truss’ budget in her short term as Prime Minister, led to many people’s mortgages going through the roof. So in order not to lose their homes, they now have to increase rent, even though salaries have not risen alongside.
Poor Rights for Renters. Unlike say in Germany and Italy (where renting is the norm), in England there is little regulation to protect tenants from exploitative landlords. Most are likely fine, but the housing charity Crisis want a Local Housing Allowance, so tenants receive help to match higher rents. And get more protection from eviction.
No Help to Find Work. Apart from having to phone in to say they have searched for work, the system does not really offer much incentive or help. If someone is homeless, he or she will need help for travel costs, showers and interview clothes, even before applying for a job. But if someone has no access to any of these, it’s unlikely that person is going to come off benefits, and get a job that pays enough to rent a home.
Not Claiming Benefits. Many homeless people (like many other people in society) don’t realise they are entitled to benefits. Even someone of no fixed address can still claim benefits, and often with back-dated money, if it was not claimed before. The media make out that people claiming benefits are all sitting at home watching large-screen TVs. In fact, most unclaimed benefits are from the vulnerable in society who often don’t have access to the Internet – including homeless people, older and disabled people.
Homeless people can claim Universal Credit (give the address of a family member or friend or a local hostel or even job centre). If you don’t have a bank account, use the government’s Payment Exception Service to collect benefits from a local post office or PayPoint outlet.
Mental Health and Addiction Problems
It’s true that some people who are homeless have mental health problems, and this often leads to alcohol and addiction issues. Before judging, it’s important to know that if you were living on a freezing cold street and someone gave you a bottle of whisky to keep warm, would you not take it?
Living on the streets is also not just boring, but very dangerous. Many people are attacked, and this in itself can lead to mental health issues like flashbacks.
Often people who are homeless, have mental issues due to previous lives. Which is often the reason many have left home in the first place: like sexual abuse or domestic violence at home or who have post-traumatic stress (such as veterans).
Rather than see people on the streets with issues as those ‘not to help’, local councils should offer support and medical help. Until this happens, nothing is going to change.
Being Homeless is Not a ‘Choice
Nearly all people living on the streets don’t want to be there. Who would live in a freezing cold alley and spend their days doing nothing, risk being urinated on or attacked, have sore feet, dirty clothes and no pride, income or job?
Most homeless people in England die in their late 40s. Some due to alcohol and drugs, but others due to hypothermia or other illnesses, caused by poor self-care.
Rather than berate people for being homeless, instead we can find solutions. ‘Affordable housing’ does not mean tearing up our countryside to build new homes (there is enough ‘brownfield land’ to do this, without permanently destroying our countryside and native wildlife. Councils can read Building for People, on how to build affordable low-carbon community housing. Read of affordable housing ideas for homeless people.
Finland has reached almost zero homelessness, thanks to non-profit landlord Y-Säätiö that works with councils to build on-demand furnished M2-Kodit homes that are energy-efficient, with access to green space, public transport and laundries). And people don’t judge homeless people there – they help them.
Making it so you don’t have to look at homeless people, isn’t a solution to homelessness. Sara Luterman
Not everyone who’s homeless is a drug addict. Some are normal people who’ve been knocked down, and it can happen to you too. Not all of us made bad life choices. Sherrilyn Kenyon
