People forced into crime and unwanted sex to escape homelessness
23 December 2010
People are resorting to crime and unwanted sexual relationships to escape the horrors of homelessness, research commissioned by Crisis reveals.
On the day Crisis opens the doors of its Christmas centres the charity is highlighting the shocking steps people will take to get accommodation and how single homeless people don't get the help they need. Crisis also fears that planned Government cuts will make matters much worse.
In "Hidden Homelessness" [1], a research report from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University, more than 400 single homeless people were surveyed from 11 different towns and cities in the UK.
The report reveals the desperate measures individuals take to get off the streets and find a place to sleep, for example:
- More than one in four women (28%) and 14% of men had spent the night (or longer) with an unwanted sexual partner specifically in order to accommodate themselves
- 19% of women and 3% of men reported having engaged in sex work because this offered an opportunity to spend the night off the streets
- 28% of respondents had committed minor crime such as shoplifting or anti-social behaviour in the hope of being taken into custody for the night
- 20% said they had avoided bail or committed an imprisonable offence with the express purpose of receiving a custodial sentence as a means to resolving their housing problems
- 18% had admitted spending time in hospital A&E departments for the same reason
Evidence that financial hardship was leading to homelessness is supported by the report too:
- 13% were evicted for rent arrears or because they were unable to afford their rent
- 9% lost accommodation tied to employment or became homeless after moving to find work
And this comes at a time when the official homelessness statistics and the numbers of people sleeping rough in London are already beginning to show an increase [2].
Crisis Chief Executive Leslie Morphy, comments on the new research findings: "This new research makes shocking reading. It is desperately sad to see the lengths that people are taking to escape the horrors of homelessness.
"We expect to see some 2,500 homeless and vulnerable people over Christmas this year [3] and we fear that planned Government cuts will lead to many more people struggling to keep their homes during the coming year. Crisis wants the Government to seriously rethink its plans. Poor, vulnerable and homeless people must not bear the brunt of reducing the deficit - it is a basic issue of social justice."
Crisis is particularly concerned around the cuts in three areas which will leave many people struggling next year. These are:
(i) Housing Benefit cuts: from April 2011 all new claimants of housing benefit in the private rented sector (some 20,000 a month) face reduced benefits. As these cuts are extended to existing claimants almost a million households will lose an average of £12 a week. In 2012, some 88,000 25-34 year olds will lose a further ‘average £47 a week as their benefit will be restricted to cover a room only in a shared property (the shared room rate). And the Government wants to legislate to bring in a further wave of cuts to Housing Benefit in future years, including cutting it by 10% for those on Job Seekers Allowance for 12 months irrespective of the steps they are taking to find work.
(ii) Cuts by local authorities to funding for hostels, day centres and other homelessness services. Following the cuts in the funding settlement from central government to local government, local authorities are already making cuts to homelessness services of some 20% - 40% and in some cases much higher.
(iii) Housing budget cuts: including a halving of the money to build new affordable housing at a time when there are 1.8 million households on the waiting list.
Ends
For interviews, case studies or more information please contact Gillian Enlund on 020 7426 3832 or gillian.enlund@crisis.org.uk
Notes to editors
Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people. We are dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change
[1] "Hidden Homelessness"
The results published today are preliminary findings from the "Hidden Homelessness" report by CESR at Sheffield Hallam University which is due to be published in full in January 2011.
Researchers surveyed a total of 437 single homeless people in day centres for the homeless in 11 towns and cities in England: London, Birmingham, Oxford, Stockport, Newcastle, Blackpool, Manchester, Southampton, Newton Abbot, Sheffield, Brighton. The results presented in this press release relate to the sample of 365 non-statutory homeless respondents.
As well as revealing the lengths people take to obtain accommodation, survey findings also reveal that many single homeless people may not be accessing the housing support and assistance they require to escape homelessness. Many single homeless people have not been given housing by the local authority (they don't approach, they are deterred from applying or deemed not in priority need) and cannot get a hostel place or are reluctant to use hostels.
The survey found many people who were not getting the help they need and that many do not negotiate their way into the homelessness system at all:
- 75% had never stayed in temporary accommodation arranged by a local authority or support agency
- 57% had never stayed in a hostel
- 25% had never stayed in any type of accommodation provided by a housing/homelessness organisation (including night shelters, refuges and B&Bs)
And the researchers found that many of those surveyed had been struggling with homelessness for a number of years:
- 27% of those who had never accessed hostels or temporary housing had been homeless for more than three years.
- 43% of those who had been homeless for more than six years had never stayed in a hostel or temporary housing arranged by the local authority or support agency.
The research also confirms that the majority of single homeless people across the country may be hidden and repeat homelessness is common:
- 62% (365) of the 437 single homeless people surveyed were currently hidden homeless
- 92% had at some point been in hidden homeless accommodation.
- 27% of survey respondents had experienced five or more episodes of homelessness
[2] Official Government Statistics released earlier this month revealed that homelessness has increased in two consecutive quarters for the first time since 2003.
- The number of applicants accepted as eligible for the main homelessness duty (households who approached their local authority and were assessed as in Priority Need and unintentionally homeless) during July to September was 14% higher than the same quarter in 2009 and 12 per cent higher than April to June.
- The number of households accepted as being in priority need giving rent arrears as the reason for loss of last settled home is up by 18% on the same quarter last year and a rise of a 50% on the first quarter of this year
- The number of people becoming homeless due to the ending of their tenancy in the Private Rented Sector has increased by 24% on the previous quarter and up 60% on the same quarter last year
- Full break down at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessq32010
- Yet these figures are only a small part of the overall picture of homelessness. They only cover people considered by local authorities to be a priority. They exclude most single people and couples without dependent children - people who are often living on the street, in hostels and other forms of temporary accommodation. These non-statutory homeless people are those who are described in this "Hidden Homelessness Report"
- 3,673 people slept rough on London's streets last year. An increase of 5% on the previous year. (from the CHAIN database administered by Broadway London)
- And CHAIN reports that the numbers flowing onto the streets in London has risen by 19% over the last quarter. Broadway CHAIN - September 2010 -http://www.broadwaylondon.org/CHAIN/NewsletterandReports
[3] Crisis At Christmas 2010: we will welcome around 2,500 guests in eight centres across London and at our Crisis Skylight Centre in Newcastle. Our residential centres provide accommodation for rough sleepers and people with specific needs such as people with dependency issues and vulnerable women.
For the vulnerably housed, we run specialist day centres which are based in schools and colleges, providing an inspirational environment. Across all our centres guests can benefit from over 20 different services, learning opportunities, vital medical help, housing and job advice. We link our guests up to year-round services and encourage them to come to Crisis services in the New Year so we can continue to provide opportunities that will help them transform their lives. With over 8,000 volunteers, Crisis at Christmas is the largest volunteer led event in the UK.