Homelessness

[ummabdullah]

Homelessness in the uk,

I am curious as to how homelessness in the uk will be affected by house prices going down bringing the economy and pound with it?

is there a big homeless probelm in the UK?

I always thought their was so much help out here for people if they chose to use it.

[DabHand]

Most long term homeless are mentally ill, addicts of some kind (including alcoholics) or both. I believe recently there are actually homeless people who have simply turned up as economic migrants and it hasnt quite worked out. The combination of lack of local social networks and grasp of the English system including its language has meant they spend longer being homeless before being picked up by an NGO/charity/local authority etc.

I dont think house prices has ever had anything to do with homlessness, as rentals have remained anchored to fundamentals.

[poorman]

There is no such thing as homeless in uk,people choose to be homeless

[ummabdullah]

thats what I always thought.. that here in the uk people choose to be homeless..

but quite a few people seem to disagree with me..

I think the problem is much worse in america..

I posted on this website because people actually like to think deeply on here.

[Guest tbatst2000]

thats what I always thought.. that here in the uk people choose to be homeless..

but quite a few people seem to disagree with me..

I think the problem is much worse in america..

I posted on this website because people actually like to think deeply on here.

I've not observed US homelessness to be any better or worse than that in the UK. I think the situation in both countries is quite similar - if you can work, even in a low paid job, you can probably just about afford to rent a room somewhere even if it's quite a nasty one. At the next level down, those that can mostly hold themselves together but aren't organised enough to stay in work can generally find a place in a hostel. The people you see sleeping rough, whilst not necessarily mentally ill, alcoholic, drug addicted etc. do have emotional problems beyond the normal range experienced by most people. The help available for the homeless in both countries is quite similar also, mostly being provided by charitable organisations with some state funding.

I think very few people in either country ever make a conscious decision to be homeless as such, it's more a case of not being able to make the decisions required to stay in some sort of accommodation - homelessness is the default option when you can't do the necessary to get a roof over your head.

To answer the original question though, I've not noticed much of a correlation between the economic cycle and homelessness in the UK but that's not to say one doesn't exist - it depends how you define things: is someone sleeping on friends floors homeless for example?

[Als]

Homelessness in the uk,

I am curious as to how homelessness in the uk will be affected by house prices going down bringing the economy and pound with it?

is there a big homeless probelm in the UK?

I always thought their was so much help out here for people if they chose to use it.

I have a couple of friends who have been homeless recently. They are people with drug or alchohol problems. Some will sleep on friends floors and move around like that. One guy had a room but it was miles away from his friends and family and he was surrounded by too many drinking pals so he camped on the local golf course instead. If you are single and on benefit then I think it's much more difficult to get a room or a flat now than it was. In my local area the reason for this is increased employment. It means that landlords can find professional people as tenants so the poorer people get pushed out to the cheaper areas.

[CviewUK]

Some advice can be found here:

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family...homeless_people

[Fergie]

it depends how you define things: is someone sleeping on friends floors homeless for example?

That's how the councils would define it for the points system. It's odd these days. There are so few council places you'll only stand a chance of getting anywhere if you can prove real, genuine, housing need - such as sleeping on a friends floor, or in an overcrowded place, or somewhere that clearly isn't suitable. If it's simply that you really can't afford the rent where you are, you'll get no points whatsoever as you're considered adequately housed. So effectively, you have to become homeless or in very insecure, unsuitable accommodation to qualify.

I think it's true though that house prices, and even the general economic situation doesn't have a huge effect on the figures as most people can find some alternative to being homeless, however bad. Those that can't tend to have bigger problems. If you've ever tried coping with day-to-day life with severe clinical depression, for example, you'd know it's impossible. Even someone whose generally highly intelligent and competent finds they can no longer even fill out a form, never mind make appointments and speak to people etc. I think it's very hard for any of us who've never been homeless to understand just what some folk have gone through.

Anyway, that aside...it would be really interesting to see what happened to private rentals and house prices if there was a political decision to create a huge amount of council places again. I read the statistic 6,000 people applied for 60 council place in Edinburgh last year. That's a hell of a lot of people looking to either reduce living costs, or find somewhere better through the council than they have privately. Doesn't say a lot about the way the system's working right now.

[alabala]

There is no such thing as homeless in uk,people choose to be homeless

http://www.endhomelessness.org.uk/manifest...20manifesto.pdf

More than 100,000 households, the highest number ever,

now live in temporary accommodation after being

accepted by a local authority as priority homeless.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/mark_b...1/post_655.html

At the bottom end of society, while progress has been made in reducing the numbers sleeping rough, more than 100,000 households still live in temporary accommodation. Of the million homes in England deemed unfit for human habitation, 83% are occupied, while across Britain there are nearly 700,000 empty homes, most owned by private landlords, happy to watch their unused assets appreciate rather than make them available to those without homes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4090937.stm

"When you add in the 380,000 'hidden homeless' - those living in hostels, squats and other places - there are nearly half a million homeless people in the UK today," said chief executive Shaks Ghosh.

"Basically, what it means is they don't have a settled arrangement."

Mr Sampson said there were not enough affordable social houses available to rent, adding: "It's a half a billion pound problem the government is going to have to dig very deep to resolve."

Edited October 3, 2007 by alabala

[piece of paper]

Homelessness in the uk,

I am curious as to how homelessness in the uk will be affected by house prices going down bringing the economy and pound with it?

There will be more of them?

p-o-p

[Access Denied]

There will be more of them.

During the last crash the LA where I work was inundated with families evicted because of mortgage arrears and it wasn't all the ex RTB brigade. This time the bubble is so much bigger that the fallout is set to dwarf last time and with fewer properties available to house them. For those of us in social housing organisations it's deja vu time.

[CviewUK]

And some more information:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/home/index.cfm

[ummabdullah]

Thank you all for your comments and those who have given links.

I find it odd that councils are supposed to make low cost housing to help with the homeless situation.

Yet whenever I see a low cost house it is at least £125k. This is just how much I'd be happy to pay on my hubbies salary. And he is taxed 40%.

It doesn't seem like the goverment is making much PRACTICAL effort to relieve the situation of the poor and middle class.

[southsea13]

There is no such thing as homeless in uk,people choose to be homeless

Sorry, that`s got to be the dumbest thing I`ve ever heard on HPC

[laurejon]

Homelessness in the uk,

I am curious as to how homelessness in the uk will be affected by house prices going down bringing the economy and pound with it?

is there a big homeless probelm in the UK?

I always thought their was so much help out here for people if they chose to use it.

They are shortly about to have many more new friends to swell their ranks

[laurejon]

I have a couple of friends who have been homeless recently. They are people with drug or alchohol problems. Some will sleep on friends floors and move around like that. One guy had a room but it was miles away from his friends and family and he was surrounded by too many drinking pals so he camped on the local golf course instead. If you are single and on benefit then I think it's much more difficult to get a room or a flat now than it was. In my local area the reason for this is increased employment. It means that landlords can find professional people as tenants so the poorer people get pushed out to the cheaper areas.

I agree, its outragous that Landlords would not take in Drug Addicts and Alchoholics, in fact its discrimination of the first degree.

If people want to take drugs, Alchohol, and chose not to go to work, then fair play to them, they certainly should not be penalised as a result of a problem they didnt create.

[Rain'ard]

There is no such thing as homeless in uk,people choose to be homeless

Anybody could wind up homeless, even Laurejon if he developed a mental illness

[Nicholas Cage]

Which is 297,910 people in Social Housing allocated a home by being classed as homeless in the last 5 years.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications...yenglishhousing

[laurejon]

Anybody could wind up homeless, even Laurejon if he developed a mental illness

I am homeless.

Let mine out for three years

[Rain'ard]

I am homeless.

Let mine out for three years

So it was you selling the Big Issue with higher mark up than the others

[laurejon]

So it was you selling the Big Issue with higher mark up than the others

If only, from what I understand the interview process to become a Big Issue sales executive, is a three part process now. In fact if you dont have 10 years previous sales experience, and a degree in a sales and marketing capacity you can forget it.

[southsea13]

If only, from what I understand the interview process to become a Big Issue sales executive, is a three part process now. In fact if you dont have 10 years previous sales experience, and a degree in a sales and marketing capacity you can forget it.

Never mind, if you fail the interview you can always become a `chugger`

[CviewUK]

Homelessness remains a significant problem in Brighton & Hove. High property prices and and low average income have resulted in high levels of homelessness, and demand for affordable homes in the city far exceeds supply.

and

Historically, Brighton & Hove has a large rough sleeper problem.

From:

http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c306