Defining homelessness
The statutory definition of a homeless person, as set out in Part VII of the Housing Act 1996, is:
1. A person is homeless if he has no accommodation available for his occupation, in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, which he-
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is entitled to occupy by virtue of an interest in it or by virtue of an order of a court,
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has an express or implied licence to occupy, or
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occupies as a residence by virtue of any enactment or rule of law giving him the right to remain in occupation or restricting the right of another person to recover possession.
2. A person is also homeless if he has accommodation but-
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he cannot secure entry to it, or
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it consists of a movable structure, vehicle or vessel designed or adapted for
human habitation and there is no place where he is entitled or permitted both to place it and to reside in it.
3. A person shall not be treated as having accommodation unless it is an accommodation which it would be reasonable for him to continue to occupy.
Types of homelessness
Rough sleeping is the most visible form of homelessness, as people sleep on the streets, car parks or on park benches.
Many rough sleepers will suffer from different health conditions such as mental health illnesses, drug use and other addictions. These people are in greater danger of violence, as most of the time they are exposed.
Local authorities have a legal duty to secure a home for some groups of people. Every year, tens of thousands of people apply for homeless assistance to their regional councils. However, to receive assistance you have to fulfil strict criteria.
Local authorities may initially provide temporary accommodation to those who meet these criteria and they are mainly families with children.
Many people who are not entitled for help with housing, or who don’t even approach their councils for help, aren’t counted in the official statistics.
People who become homeless but find a temporary solution by staying with friends or family, in hostels, B&Bs or in overcrowded accommodation are known as hidden homeless.
National statistics
Rough Sleepers
According to the latest figures published by Crisis, collected in the autumn of 2018 and published in January 2019, 4,677 people are estimated to be sleeping rough on any one night.
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There was a decrease of 2% from 2017 to 2018, however, since 2010 rough sleeping estimates show an increase of 165%.
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The West Midlands saw the biggest percentage increase in rough sleeping since 2017 (42%). This is followed by the North East of England (29%) and Yorkshire and the Humber (19%).
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Out of the total number of 4,677 rough sleepers 3,013 are UK nationals, 1048 rough sleepers are EU nationals, 193 are non-EU nationals and 402 rough sleeper’s nationalities are unknown.
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In 2018, the number of UK nationals decreased in comparison with 2017 (-383), whereas the number of EU, non-UK nationals has increased (+288).
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Statutory homelessness
26,400 households made a homelessness application at their local authority in January – March 2018, which was 7% lower compared to the previous year.
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52% of applicants were accepted by local authorities, a total number of 13,740 households.
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4,460 people were found not to be in priority need, representing 17% of the total statutory case load.
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A total of 2,920 young people (aged 16-24) were accepted as statutory homeless. This figure is slightly lower than in 2017 when the figure was 3,210.
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The total number of 79,880 households were in temporary accommodation, representing a 3% increase from 2017.
5.
What causes homelessness?
Vivienne Wiggings has worked at Beacon House, Colchester for decades now. She has come across hundreds of cases, and worked with homeless people from different backgrounds and diverse cultures.
Hear her expertise on what causes homelessness. Is this something that people choose?