A report examined homelessness trends in Scotland. In sharp contrast to the rising trend in England, statutory homelessness applications had dropped by 19 per cent in Scotland in 2011-12. This decline in statutory homelessness was associated with targeted homelessness policy and administrative measures – including changes in recording practices in some areas – rather than reflecting any easing in the underlying drivers of acute housing need.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Hal Pawson, Glen Bramley, and Steve Wilcox, The Homelessness Monitor: Scotland 2012, Crisis
Links: Report | Summary | Crisis press release
Date: 2012-Dec
A report examined the impact on homelessness in England of recent economic and policy developments. The weakening of welfare protection and the housing safety net, in a context of wider recessionary pressures, was already having a negative effect on those most vulnerable to homelessness, with the prospect of much worse to come.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Hal Pawson, Glen Bramley, and Steve Wilcox, The Homelessness Monitor: England 2012, Crisis
Links: Report | Crisis press release
Date: 2012-Dec
An article examined the record of the former Labour governments (1997–2010) on tackling rough sleeping. It stressed the importance of considering the role of actively engaged local communities in governing homeless people and regulating homeless service providers.
Source: Martin Whiteford, 'New Labour, street homelessness and social exclusion: a defaulted promissory note?', Housing Studies, Volume 28 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
A report examined the extent and nature of homelessness in the European Union's member states, and analyzed policy progress in tackling homelessness over recent years. Homelessness had increased in 15 member states in the previous 1-5 years, and remained a problem in all member states. Many states reported an increasing proportion of homeless women, families, migrants, and young people. A more integrated approach was needed to address the problem.
Source: On the Way Home? FEANTSA monitoring report on homelessness and homeless policies in Europe, FEANTSA (European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless)
Links: Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Dec
A report presented interim findings from longitudinal qualitative research into homeless people's experiences of starting work. It sought to identify what helped homeless people move into and sustain work, what difficulties they could face, and what would make it easier for more homeless people to keep work over the long term.
Source: Juliette Hough, Keeping Work: Interim findings from longitudinal qualitative research on homeless people s experiences of starting and staying in work, Broadway
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Dec
A report said that homelessness in all its forms was continuing to rise in England. Cuts to housing benefit, combined with the continuing economic downturn, were making more people vulnerable to homelessness. It said that there was much worse to come, particularly for young people and families with children.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Hal Pawson, Glen Bramley, and Steve Wilcox, The Homelessness Monitor: Great Britain 2012, Crisis
Links: Report | Crisis press release | York University press release | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Dec
A survey found that reduced benefits for young people were increasing their chances of becoming homeless. 65 per cent of local authorities reported a negative impact on the ability of young people to access private rented accommodation due to the extension of the shared accommodation rate to people under 35. Almost one-half of local authorities reported that capping the housing allowance for young people had had a similar impact.
Source: Young & Homeless 2012, Homeless Link
Links: Report | Homeless Link press release | Depaul UK press release
Date: 2012-Dec
An article examined pathways into multiple exclusion homelessness (MEH) and the potential causal processes underlying them. It identified five experiential clusters within the MEH population, based on the extent and complexity of experiences of homelessness, substance misuse, institutional care, street culture activities, and adverse life events. The most complex forms of MEH were associated with childhood trauma. The temporal sequencing of MEH-relevant experiences was remarkably consistent, with substance misuse and mental health problems tending to occur early in individual pathways, and homelessness and a range of adverse life events typically occurring later. The strong inference was that these later-occurring events were largely consequences rather than originating causes of MEH.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Glen Bramley, Sarah Johnsen, Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Glen Bramley, and Sarah Johnsen, 'Pathways into multiple exclusion homelessness in seven UK cities', Urban Studies, Volume 50 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
A report said that many local authorities in Wales had 'lost their focus' on preventing homelessness. Prevention consisted largely of negotiating with parents and landlords to keep people longer while they waited for social housing. A systematic approach to prevention was not sufficiently ingrained in services.
Source: Andy Gale Consultancy and Jenkins Duval Ltd, Reducing the Use of Bed & Breakfast Accommodation for Homeless Households, Welsh Local Government Association
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Dec
The Scottish Parliament approved a measure abolishing the 'priority need test' for the provision of housing to homeless people. From 31 December 2012 all local councils would have to provide settled accommodation to anyone who was unintentionally homelessness. The measure was estimated to give around 3,000 more people each year the right to settled accommodation.
Source: Homelessness (Abolition of Priority Need Test) (Scotland) Order 2012, Scottish Government, TSO
Links: Order | Scottish Government press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Nov
A report said that many homeless people were being failed by the coalition government's Work Programme. Jobcentre Plus was not identifying people who were homeless, homeless people were not placed in the correct Work Programme payment group, and consequently providers did not get paid extra to offer more intensive support. The barriers to employment faced by many homeless people were not being identified: 58 per cent of those surveyed had not been talked to by their Work Programme adviser about their barriers to employment. The Work Programme was not delivering the individualized, specialist support that homeless people needed to get into employment: only 22 per cent of those surveyed with drug and alcohol problems received helpful advice and support from their Work Programme provider in these areas.
Source: The Programme s Not Working: Experiences of homeless people on the Work Programme, Crisis/Homeless Link/St Mungos
Links: Report | Homeless Link press release | St Mungos press release | Civil Society report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Nov
A report examined homelessness in London, and in the south-east and east of England. Homeless acceptances had increased sharply across all three regions in the previous two years. After a long period of decline, higher numbers of families with children were again being placed in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation, and were staying there for longer. The future funding of vital temporary accommodation for homeless households was in limbo, potentially jeopardizing this essential service. More people than ever before were becoming homeless as a result of private rented tenancies ending.
Source: Homeless Bound? Homelessness in London, the south east and east of England, National Housing Federation
Links: Report | NHF press release
Date: 2012-Nov
A report by a committee of MSPs said that homeless young people in Scotland were being failed by a lack of support in overcoming inadequate life skills, compounded by sub-standard accommodation and isolation.
Source: Having and Keeping a Home: Steps to preventing homelessness among young people, 4th Report 2012, SP Paper 191, Scottish Parliament Equal Opportunities Committee
Links: Report | Scottish Parliament press release | CAS press release | BBC report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Oct
A report examined the mortality of homeless people in England for the period 2001–2009. It found that homeless people were more likely to die young, with an average age of death of 47 compared with 77 for the general population.
Source: Bethan Thomas, Homelessness Kills: An analysis of the mortality of homeless people in early twenty-first century England, Crisis
Links: Report | Summary | Sheffield University press release
Date: 2012-Oct
A report said that there was sufficient evidence to recommend that a prevention-focused approach to homelessness ('Housing Solutions') should be introduced in Wales. Verified rough sleepers should be incorporated as a priority need group. The Welsh Government should consider writing into legislation a date on which young people aged 18-24 would be included as a priority need group.
Source: Peter Mackie and Ian Thomas (with Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Tamsin Stirling, Sarah Johnsen, and Simon Hoffman), Assessing the Impacts of Proposed Changes to Homelessness Legislation in Wales, Welsh Government
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Oct
An article said that people who had experienced homelessness achieved a successful life with support by drawing on their considerable life experience and personal talents. Front-line services needed to include resettlement as well as crisis and stabilizing services in order to ensure that homeless people could successfully move from home to home.
Source: Angela Daly, John Anderson, Denis O'Driscoll, and Kathleen Pitt, 'From home to home: homelessness during austere times', Housing Care and Support, Volume 15 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Sep
An article examined the experience of 'multiple exclusion homelessness' (MEH) among migrants to the United Kingdom. The MEH experiences of migrants tended to differ from those of the indigenous MEH population; the former were, in particular, far less likely to report troubled childhoods and multiple forms of deep exclusion. The more extreme problems faced by migrants tended to occur only after arrival in the UK.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Sarah Johnsen, and Glen Bramley, 'Multiple exclusion homelessness amongst migrants in the UK', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 6
Links: Article
Date: 2012-Sep
A study examined what young homeless people thought about the imagery, language, and presentation of people like them used in appeals for charitable donations. Pictures of bedraggled homeless people were a cause of widespread irritation: but campaigns using pictures of groomed and cheerful people also came in for criticism for being 'staged'.
Source: Beth Breeze and Jon Dean, User Views of Fundraising: A study of charitable beneficiaries opinions of their representation in appeals, Alliance Publishing Trust
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Aug
The coalition government published a paper intended to provide an initial overview of evidence held by government and other organizations, including that already published, of the magnitude of financial costs to government from homelessness.
Source: Evidence Review of the Costs of Homelessness, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Paper | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Aug
The coalition government published a working group report on managing services in a way that prevented all households – regardless of whether they were families, couples, or single people – from reaching a crisis point where they were faced with homelessness.
Source: Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness, Making Every Contact Count: A joint approach to preventing homelessness, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | DCLG press release | DH press release | CRASH press release | Crisis press release | Homeless Link press release | LGA press release | St Mungos press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report | Public Finance report
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined service provision, and identified barriers to care, for homeless people with mental health problems in 14 European capital cities. Although there was variability in service provision, reported barriers to service accessibility were common. Homeless-specific services were more responsive to the initial needs of homeless people with mental health problems, while generic services tended to be more conducive to long-term care. Further research was needed to determine the effectiveness of different service delivery models, including the most effective co-ordination of homeless-specific and generic services.
Source: Reamonn Canavan et al., 'Service provision and barriers to care for homeless people with mental health problems across 14 European capital cities', BMC Health Services Research, Volume 12
Date: 2012-Jul
A report analyzed responses to a consultation on housing support for homeless households in Scotland. Almost all housing associations who responded to the consultation were in favour of Scottish Ministers establishing regulations for housing support and provision.
Source: Reid Howie Associates, Housing Support for Homeless Households: Analysis of Consultation Findings, Scottish Government
Date: 2012-Jun
Date: 2012-Jun
A report presented key interim findings from a longitudinal qualitative research study that explored the use of the private rented sector to accommodate homeless people and those in housing need, as well as housing well-being. Homeless people in the private rented sector often had to go without heating, electricity, or food in order to provide for their children.
Source: Mary Smith, Sustain: A longitudinal study of housing wellbeing in the private rented sector – Interim report, Shelter/Crisis
Links: Report | Summary | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Jun
A study examined the views of past and present users of homelessness services in Wales. It identified a culture of distrust, too much bureaucracy, a lack of compassion and respect, and a system focused on 'ticking the right boxes' rather than helping people.
Source: Jacqueline Aneen Campbell (with Jennie Bibbings), Citizen Engagement on Welsh Homelessness Services and Legislation, Shelter Cymru
Links: Report | Shelter press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-May
An article examined the reasons underpinning many stakeholders' scepticism about the 'Housing First' service model for homeless people with complex support needs. Although most stakeholders found aspects of the approach very attractive, ideological and pragmatic reservations dictated that robust evidence derived from pilot projects would be required – especially as regards outcomes for individuals with active substance misuse problems – before any wholesale 'conversion' to the model was likely.
Source: Sarah Johnsen and L gia Teixeira, ' Doing it already? : stakeholder perceptions of Housing First in the UK', International Journal of Housing Policy, Volume 12 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
A report examined hospital admission and discharge practice for people who were homeless. More than 70 per cent of homeless people were being discharged from hospital back on to the streets. NHS staff could improve health outcomes for homeless people, and save money, by ensuring that all patients had somewhere appropriate to stay when they were discharged from hospital.
Source: Improving Hospital Admission and Discharge for People Who Are Homeless, Homeless Link/St Mungo's
Links: Report | Homeless Link press release | St Mungos press release | DH press release | NHS Confederation press release | BBC report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-May
A report examined single homeless people's experiences of the work capability assessment, introduced in October 2008 to assess entitlement to employment and support allowance. The vast majority of respondents (81 per cent) did not feel positive about their experience of the assessment. Being asked to attend a face-to-face medical assessment made nearly all people (97 per cent) stressed, anxious, and worried that their claim would be turned down. Over one-half of respondents (55 per cent) were deemed not to have 'limited capability for work' and were moved off employment and support allowance. However, outcomes varied greatly depending on whether clients were accompanied: 86 per cent of those unaccompanied were deemed not to have 'limited capacity for work', whereas the figure for those accompanied was 39 per cent. Over three-quarters of people were unhappy with the outcome of the assessment and thought that inaccurate assessment reports were to blame.
Source: Single Homeless People's Experiences of the Work Capability Assessment, Crisis
Links: Report
Date: 2012-May
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive published a strategy aimed at eliminating long-term homelessness and rough sleeping by 2020. A new integrated approach included a range of initiatives, from support services to prevent homelessness to the introduction of a province-wide private rented sector access scheme.
Source: Homelessness Strategy for Northern Ireland 2012-2017, Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Links: Strategy | NIHE press release
Date: 2012-May
An article examined the impact of well-being on the uptake of intervention programmes for homeless people.
Source: Julie Christian, David Clapham, Shemeica Thomas, and Dominic Abrams, 'The relationship between well-being, future planning and intentions to utilise intervention programmes: what can be learned from homeless service users?', International Journal of Housing Policy, Volume 12 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
An article examined approaches to meeting the healthcare needs of homeless people, drawing on research in Norway and Scotland. The challenge was to recognize the need for a process approach that supported an effective transition from the (sometimes necessary) use of specialist services for this group, towards full integration into mainstream healthcare.
Source: Isobel Anderson and Siri Ytrehus, 'Re-conceptualising approaches to meeting the health needs of homeless people', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 41 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
A briefing paper examined research into single homelessness among people aged 18-25. It looked at people's experiences of homelessness, including: the reasons why young people first became homeless; their housing histories and backgrounds; the vulnerabilities they faced; and the lengths they went to in order to avoid sleeping on the streets.
Source: Young, Hidden and Homeless, Crisis
Links: Briefing
Date: 2012-May
A report examined the provision of the 'Housing First' service model in Europe – immediately providing homeless people with either secure independent or communal housing before any other services.
Source: Nicholas Pleace, Housing First, FEANTSA (European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless)
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Apr
A report said that young homeless people experienced significantly poorer health than their peers, were more likely to use emergency health services, and faced considerable barriers in accessing the care they needed.
Source: Making It Matter: Improving the health of young homeless people, Depaul UK/AstraZeneca
Links: Report | Depaul UK press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Apr
A briefing paper examined the policy context around tackling homelessness and addressing the mental health needs of homeless people. There was a strong link between homelessness and poor mental health, with high rates of mental health problems and substance misuse among the homeless population. Access to mental health services for homeless people could be improved through improving staff awareness and delivering services differently – including use of non-clinical settings – as well as through effective joint working with partner agencies.
Source: Mental Health and Homelessness: Planning and delivering mental health services for homeless people, NHS Confederation
Links: Briefing | NHS Confederation press release | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Apr
An article said that the statutory homelessness system in England was on the whole 'fair' with respect to the housing needs that it addressed; and was also 'effective', in that it could bring about significant net gains in the welfare of those households it assisted.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Nicholas Pleace, 'The statutory homelessness system in England: a fair and effective rights-based model?', Housing Studies, Volume 27 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A campaign group said that the cost of a proposed new law to further criminalize squatting could run to almost 20 times official estimates – amounting to between £316 million and £790 million over five years. Squatters in residential buildings were saving the government some £36-90 million per year in housing benefit (as they could not claim while occupying a property). In addition, under the new law the costs of evicting squatters would be passed on to the police.
Source: Can We Afford to Criminalise Squatting?, Squatters Action for Secure Homes
Links: Report | SQUASH press release | Guardian report
Notes: Under the Legal Aid and Punishment of Offenders Bill the law on squatting would be extended to cover vacant residential buildings that had no tenant.
Date: 2012-Mar
A report by a committee of MSPs said that 'significant advances' had been made in how homelessness was tackled in Scotland, following legislation that created a commitment entitling all unintentionally homeless people to settled accommodation by the end of 2012.
Source: Homelessness in Scotland: The 2012 Commitment, 2nd Report 2012, SP Paper 97, Scottish Parliament Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee
Links: Report | Scottish Parliament press release
Date: 2012-Mar
A survey found that funding cuts were causing many more homelessness projects to turn away the highest-risk clients. 58 per cent of projects had had their funding reduced in the previous year, despite a 23 per cent rise in rough sleeping between autumn 2010 and 2011.
Source: Survey of Needs & Provision 2012: Homelessness services for single people and couples without dependents in England, Homeless Link
Links: Report | Summary | Homeless Link press release | Community Care report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Mar
A report said that homeless young people struggled to access local health services, despite having much poorer health on average than their peers. The needs of vulnerable young people were too often overlooked in the design of local services. More support was needed for emerging health problems, such as low-level mental health issues; and health services needed to take better account of the challenges that some young people faced in their lives.
Source: Hidden Health Needs of Homeless Young People: Key considerations for health commissioners, Centrepoint
Links: Report | Centrepoint press release
Date: 2012-Feb
A report said that rough sleepers who attended a 'No Second Night Out' hub were significantly less likely to return to sleeping on the streets than those who did not.
Source: Juliette Hough, Anwen Jones, and Helen Lewis, No Second Night Out: An evaluation of the first six months of the project, Homeless Link
Links: Report | Summary | Homeless Link press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Jan
A paper examined ways of estimating the costs incurred by government when somebody lost their home.
Source: Tristan Carlyon, Immediate Costs to Government of Loss of Home, Shelter
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jan
