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. This can help to pay for essentials like dog food and vet care, as well as helping to find work and accommodation, for a better life for you both.
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.
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).
Help Dogs (that live with homeless people)
For the sensitive among us, it’s heartbreaking to see dogs living on the streets with homeless people, as often the streets are cold, dangerous and uncomfortable. But it’s usually the case that these dogs are well-loved by their human guardians. And obviously the best solution for all, is to find stable accommodation for homeless people, so they can give themselves and their dogs a home.
An estimated 10% to 25% of homeless individuals keep dogs as pets. These animals bring emotional support and companionship in situations where people may feel isolated. However, living on the streets with a dog adds complexity.
Homeless people with pets face limited access to shelters, as many facilities don’t allow animals. Additionally, providing food, medical care, and safety for their dogs can become daunting when resources are already scarce for themselves.
Donate to Charities Providing Free Vet Care
Dog’s Trust Hope Project offers free vet care with participating vets (let local homeless people know about the scheme) which covers general medical care. Once signed up, homeless people often get support to find dog-friendly hostels (the scheme also helps sofa-surfers and those at risk of eviction). Other charities offering similar services include:
- Dogs on the Streets
- StreetVet (also fosters dogs in case of hospital stays)
- Street Paws (runs first aid training for hostels)
Support Pet-Friendly Housing Initiatives
The real solution here is to make more rental accommodation pet-friendly. More than half of people in England live with pets, yet most rental accommodation is now very expensive (often due to higher mortgage payments) and many places ban pets.
Lets with Pets is a website run by Dogs Trust that offers advice and a Good Practice Handbook for landlords (free to download). It also offers advice for tenants, like including references on well-behaved pets and offering extra deposits, for more chance of success in finding pet-friendly rental accommodation.
Help Dogs of Homeless People Abroad
If you would also like to support charities abroad doing similar work, these include:
Pets of the Homeless (US) offers free vet care (along with spay/neuter surgery, nail trimming and ear cleaning) to dogs of homeless people (including emergency care) . And outreach support to provide free pet food and help for veterans (finding stable housing for them and their dogs). The charity also provides free crates for shelters that don’t allow pets (apart from service dogs). This enables homeless people with dogs, to find indoor accommodation for the night.
Project Street Vet (US) is another nonprofit (founded by a California vet who has volunteered on the streets for years). This organisation works in a few stsates, providing free vet care (exams, vaccines, flea meds and other supplies) and end-of-life services if required.
WE Care Worldwide (Sri Lanka) works slightly differently, in that it helps the country’s huge population of street dogs, who are more akin to wild animals than pets. They live in packs (local people simply look out for them, a bit like feral cats). But some have awful injuries and illness, due to no human guardians. So this charity funds vaccinations to help street dogs, and also provides vet treatment and community education. You can buy cotton t-shirts to support them.
In Delhi (India), locals have created a waterproof dog bed for street dogs that combines recycled dog food bags, with jute cover & reflective piping. What a great idea!
Innovative Ideas to Help Homeless People
Although well-meaning, donating money is not usually recommended by councils and homeless charities (some though not all homeless people spend the money on drink or drugs). Items like blankets may sound good, but can be heavy to drag around, especially say after heavy rain.
BillyChip solves the issue at source. This chip (founded in honour of a young paramedic killed in a motorcycle accident) pays for the cost of ‘chips’ that are given to local shops and cafes. If you see a homeless person (with or without a dog), you can then ‘buy a chip’ and give it to the person living on the street. He or she can use the chip to buy not just hot drinks and meals, but can also use it to buy pet food from participating stores.
This idea also helps to keep homeless people and their dogs safe, as they are not being given money, which could cause them to be robbed in some circumstances. Participating shops and cafes also receive window decals to show they’re involved. Which as well as being kind, is likely a good business idea too (people like to support local companies that are doing good).
A Rain/Wind Resistant ‘Sleeping Tent’
Sleep Pod is a £30 ‘sleeping tent’ that is resistant to rain and wind – it’s also insulated to protect against the elements, but lightweight & easy to carry.
People who use these tents say that they get the best night’s sleep they have had since living on the streets. They are designed especially for severe weather conditions, and far easy to carry around thank blankets, which can get wet and heavy, in poor weather.
Sheltersuit is a wind-waterproof jacket with a large hood to shield the face from rain and streetlights, with a built-in mattress & pillow.
Mobile Showers & Free Public Bathrooms
It’s important for health (not to mention finding jobs) for homeless people to keep clean. ShowerBox (London) is one of the few organisations that provides free showers. Australia’s Orange Sky Australia offers not just mobile showers, but laundry vans too.
In San Francisco, Pit Stop offers free public bathrooms for homeless people. They have running water, soap and hand towels, plus areas to dispose securely of dog poop (and needles, if they are drug addicts, to avoid leaving them littered in public).
Simple Alternatives to Hostile Architecture
Architect James Furzer was so appalled at so-called ‘hostile architecture’ (councils fitting metal bars and spikes to benches so homeless people can’t sleep on them) that he created ‘homeless pods‘ (modular shelters that affix to existing buildings and are warm, clean and safe).
James says homeless people are often victims of theft and violent crime, and 10% have even been urinated on. Made from scrap materials, these pods can even be made to match the colour of host buildings, with stowaway ladders when not in use.
Recently, 3000 people signed a petition protesting against Selfridges installing spikes outside its premises. The store said the measure was taken to stop staff smoking, but others believed it was to stop homeless people bedding down for the night in doorways. A Tesco branch also had to remove deterrents, after complaints from local residents.
And a block of London luxury flats had to remove hostile architecture, after a petition reached over 100,000 signatures. All were angry that councils believe homeless people are not welcome and ‘a problem to move on’, rather than actually doing something practical to help.
Affordable Housing Ideas for Homeless People
Something has obviously gone seriously wrong, especially compared to countries like Finland (which 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).
City Pods in Seattle, USA
Seattle’s City Pods (above) are assembled in a few hours to convert vacant offices & warehouses into fully-furnished fire-compliant housing (designed to last 10 years).
In the UK, SoloHaus homeless pods are light and airy modular homes that are quick to build and easy to transport, and can be adjusted in size or added together, to accommodate homeless families. They are delivered fully-furnished with fitted kitchens, low-energy white goods and cabling for broadband and TV.
Affordable Flat-Pack Homes from Italy
Another good ‘flat pack’ house company is Italy’s MADI (these can be built in 3 months, and are even earthquake-proof, so good to house homeless people abroad after natural disasters).
Transforming Old Buses into Cheap Homes
Many organisations are now using decommissioned buses to help homeless people. Buses 4 Homeless converts London double-deckers into areas for sleep, cooking, training and holistic support. Blackpool also has its own Big Red Night bus that offers a warm safe place to at night with laundry & shower facilities. And Australia’s Sleepbus has climate-controlled pet-friendly sleep pods with lockable doors and toilets (including a Pink Sleepbus to help help families escape domestic violence).
The organisation has also recently launched Homepody, an affordable emergency accommodtion solution that’s safe and cost-effective, with self-contained modular units with a capped accommodation fee and free electricity, wifi and laundry facilities.
Help Homeless People To Find Work and Income
Beam (London) works by crowdfunding people who tell you their stories. Learn why they became homeless and what their dreams up, then pool together to help train them up. Recipients so far have become gardeners, beauticians, builders and support workers.
One recipient had a job as a trained security guard, but was living in an overcrowded tiny flat with his son, who had a two-hour journey to school. Thanks to BEAM supporters, they now live in a spacious flat near shops, and there’s a bus stop nearby, so they both have to travel less, to reach work and school. He says he is immensely grateful (read the comments from supporters, it makes you realise that most people are good).
Buy a Copy of The Big Issue
The Big Issue is a magazine founded by Sir John Bird, who began his life as a London-Irish scallywag, went to prison (where he trained in print-making) and now sits in the House of Lords to help change policy on homelessness. Sellers receive a starter kit and earn a good portion of the income from each magazine sold on their patch. There’s also a version for northern England (and you can subscribe online if you don’t live near a local vendor).
Donate Furniture and White Goods to Emmaus
Emmaus has nationwide shops where you can donate unwanted furniture and white goods, which are restored (and PAT-tested for safety) by homeless people who receive jobs, training, homes and income in return.
This charity was founded by a Catholic French priest, after he heard of a baby who had died on the cold Paris streets (and a young woman froze to death, clutching her eviction notice). There has been recent controversy over homeless people being ‘removed’ from the city to house the Olympics. And also allegations of sexual abuse by the charity founder, which is leading to an upcoming change of name.
How Local Churches Can Help Homeless People
Most towns and villages have a local church. And whatever denomination it is, this means that the people who run it believe in some kind of God. So it pays to help local homeless people, rather than just keep all donations to themselves.
Support the Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is our main ‘Christian charity’ that helps homeless people. As well as donating unwanted clothing in their charity banks, you can bank with Reliance Bank Ltd (which gives a lot of its profits to the Sally Army), as does SAGIC Insurance.
Donations also help this organisation to provide Nap Pads (emergency accommodation in small pods that are light & airy with a window, secure front door, bed, toilet, hand basin and storage area, plus connection to heat, running water and phone charging). They even have sensors (similar to that preventing crib death) to alert people, if someone stops breathing.
Use Church Income to Invest in Property
Green Pastures is a great idea, where churches invest to buy properties to house homeless people (who in return offer 10 hours help a week). Rather than invest church funds on the stock market (Jesus would be proud!)
A Faith Charity That Helps Homeless People
Church Homeless Charity is a smaller organisation that offers grants of up to £175, to help people move from rough sleeping to a hostel, or from sofa-surfing to a private tenancy. It receives no funding from the Church of England (which has an income of around £1 billion a year, with The Telegraph reporting it donates just 5% or so to charitable causes).
Addressing Common Myths about Homelessness
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.
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.
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.
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
