An annual report was published on the state of poverty and social exclusion in the United Kingdom, covering issues that included: low income; unemployment; low pay; homelessness; and ill-health. It said that national statistics for unemployment, educational achievement, and life expectancy hid large variations between areas. The report noted that there was substantial movement in and out of work, and that over half of the 13 million people living in poverty in 2011-12 were part of a working family.
Source: Tom MacInnes, Hannah Aldridge, Sabrina Bushe, Peter Kenway, and Adam Tinson, Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2013, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report | Summary | JRF press release | BBC report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Dec
A report reviewed five projects in England that aimed to deliver personalized responses to people who were rough sleeping and those with entrenched homelessness. It said that personalized approaches had successfully engaged and supported some people who had previously refused support to move off the street. Many were also supported to re-build family relationships, and to address other issues such as substance use, or improving their health. It said that the ability to build trust, the provision of choice, and flexibility were key elements of the projects' success. The report noted that there was no evidence yet of the cost effectiveness of the approach. It made recommendations for service providers, funders and government.
Source: Personally Speaking: A review of personalised services for rough sleepers, Homeless Link
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Dec
A report examined homelessness in England, as part of a five year project. It said that: 'visible' forms of homelessness, including rough sleeping and statutory homelessness, continued to increase; 22 per cent of all homelessness acceptances in 2012-13 were due to the loss of private sector tenancies; temporary accommodation placements and 'out of district' temporary accommodation placements had increased; and these trends were particularly prevalent in London. The report said that front line homelessness services continued to reduce, and it raised concerns about cuts to legal aid and specialist services for women and children fleeing domestic violence.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Hal Pawson, Glen Bramley, Steve Wilcox, and Beth Watts, The Homelessness Monitor: England 2013, Crisis
Links: Summary | Crisis press release | Guardian report | Independent report
Date: 2013-Dec
A report evaluated Camden Housing First, a project designed to secure and sustain independent housing for people with a history of chronic homelessness and high levels of need. It said there was evidence of: successfully sustained private sector tenancies; engagement of service users with health and related services; reductions in anti-social behaviour; and cost savings across services. It recommended extending the small scale study to a randomised control trial, to compare this scheme's efficacy against other forms of homelessness service.
Source: Nicholas Pleace and Joanne Bretherton, Camden Housing First: A Housing First experiment in London, Centre for Housing Policy (University of York)
Links: Report | Summary | Related presentations
Date: 2013-Nov
The Welsh government published a Bill designed to: introduce a compulsory registration and licensing scheme for private rented sector landlords and letting and management agents; reform homelessness law, place a stronger duty of prevention on local authorities, and allow them to house applicants in the private sector housing; place a duty on local authorities to provide sites for Gypsies and Travellers; introduce standards for local authorities on rents, service charges and quality of accommodation; reform the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy system; enable local authorities to charge 50 per cent more than the standard rate of council tax on empty homes; and assist the provision of housing by Co-operative Housing Associations.
Source: Housing (Wales) Bill, Welsh Government, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Welsh Government press release | WLGA press release | CIH press release | Inside Housing report | BBC report
Date: 2013-Nov
A briefing paper examined the increase in the number of people in temporary accommodation in England, and initiatives to reduce them.
Source: Wendy Wilson, Homeless Households in Temporary Accommodation (England), Standard Note SN/SP/2110, House of Commons Library
Links: Briefing paper
Date: 2013-Oct
A report highlighted the increase in complaints received by the Local Government Ombudsman regarding homelessness services, in particular in relation to families and young people.
Source: No Place Like Home: Councils use of unsuitable bed & breakfast accommodation for homeless families and young people, Local Government Ombudsman
Links: Report | LGO press release | Inside Housing report | LGA press release
Date: 2013-Oct
An article reviewed the literature on understanding homelessness. It criticized approaches that ignored, distorted or diminished the humanity of homeless people, or added little to an understanding of it. In particular, it rejected 'epidemiological' approaches that denied the possibility of agency for homeless people and treated their situation largely as a 'social fact' – to be explained in terms of causal variables or 'risk factors' of different kinds. It emphasized the need to understand homelessness as multidimensional and storied, and called for more research that looked at the whole life of a homeless person, rather than just at selected episodes of rooflessness.
Source: Peter Somerville, 'Understanding homelessness', Housing, Theory and Society, Volume 30 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
A report said that people who had experienced homelessness were being disproportionately affected by benefit sanctions. 31 per cent of homeless people on jobseeker's allowance had been sanctioned, compared with just 3 per cent of other claimants. Nearly one-third of services reported that homeless people were being sanctioned despite facing poor mental health, learning difficulties or substance misuse problems.
Source: A High Cost to Pay: The impact of benefit sanctions on homeless people, Homeless Link
Links: Report | Homeless Link press release | Independent report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined access to housing for homeless people in European Union countries, focusing on the human right to adequate housing.
Source: Michael Kolocek, 'The human right to housing in the 27 member states of the European Union', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 7 Number 1
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Jul
A report examined how more homeless people could be supported to move into and stay in work. It was not the job that many working homeless people struggled with: it was issues outside work, including a lack of affordable housing, low wages, and a benefits system that meant financial insecurity and in-work poverty for many. Support was essential to help many homeless people move into and sustain work: this included help to build up confidence and experience, to secure in-work benefits, and to overcome challenges such as bullying or poor management at work. Employers could play a vital role by providing a supportive and approachable line manager, and by making available opportunities to learn and develop at work.
Source: Juliette Hough, Jane Jones, and Becky Rice, Longitudinal Qualitative Research on Homeless People's Experiences of Starting and Staying in Work, Broadway
Links: Report | Broadway press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Jul
An article examined the contrasting approaches to homelessness in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. It considered whether a legal rights approach (as adopted in Scotland) better met the housing needs of homeless men than alternative approaches, and whether it helped to mitigate the stigma of homelessness. Rights-based approaches crowded out alternative policy objectives, providing a blunt but effective tool in prioritizing housing needs, and helped minimize stigma by casting homeless people as rights-bearers with legitimate entitlements.
Source: Beth Watts, 'Rights, needs and stigma: a comparison of homelessness policy in Scotland and Ireland', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 7 Number 1
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Jul
A report said that better knowledge about how homeless people used primary healthcare services was needed to ensure that they received the best treatment possible, and that National Health Service resources were used to best effect.
Source: Health and Homelessness: Understanding the costs and role of primary care services for homeless people, St. Mungo's
Links: Report | St Mungos press release
Date: 2013-Jul
An article examined the final phase of implementation of the modernized Scottish homelessness framework. The essence of the right to settled accommodation had been successfully achieved: but incremental policy adjustment had meant that outcomes for those facing homelessness varied somewhat from the highest aspirations of the radical 2002 policy review. The extent to which the strengthened framework represented a long-term policy success would depend on whether it withstood the risk of 'policy blurring' in the most recent shift towards blending homelessness assessment, homelessness prevention activities, and the broader assessment of the 'housing options' available to those seeking assistance.
Source: Isobel Anderson and Regina Serpa, 'The right to settled accommodation for homeless people in Scotland: a triumph of rational policy-making?', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 7 Number 1
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Jul
An article examined decision-making in relation to the use of medical evidence in homelessness cases in England. It explored how homelessness officers assessed the 'expert' medical evidence that was put to them, how far they relied on their own intuition and judgement, and the other factors that influenced their ultimate decision.
Source: Joanne Bretherton, Caroline Hunter, and Sarah Johnsen, '"You can judge them on how they look ": homelessness officers, medical evidence and decision-making in England', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 7 Number 1
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Jul
An article examined the influences of biographical, behavioural, housing, and neighbourhood attributes on housing satisfaction, settledness, and tenancy sustainment for single homeless people who had been resettled into independent accommodation. A high rate of tenancy sustainment was found, with moves into private rented accommodation having the lowest rate of success. Several housing and neighbourhood characteristics had strong associations with the outcomes. The biographical and behavioural attributes that were influential in determining outcomes were being young, frequent family contacts, having been in care as a child, and some features of the recent episode of homelessness.
Source: Anthony Warnes, Maureen Crane, and Sarah Coward, 'Factors that influence the outcomes of single homeless people's rehousing', Housing Studies, Volume 28 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jul
An article said that people experiencing homelessness were often categorized by the media and general public according to various misguided stereotypes. It considered how people experiencing homelessness might resist or challenge prescriptive identities, and recommended an intersectional approach that recognized that the identity of any individual was multiple and fluid.
Source: Lindsey McCarthy, 'Homelessness and identity: a critical review of the literature and theory', People, Place & Policy, Volume 7 Issue 1
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Jun
A report said that single homeless people on the Work Programme were being forgotten and excluded, and that the scheme was not working for them. Single homeless people experienced extremely patchy and low-quality support. They were also getting sanctioned , or having their benefits stopped, for no clear reason – often because of errors on the part of their Work Programme provider.
Source: Ben Sanders, Ligia Teixeira, and Jenna Truder, Dashed Hopes, Lives on Hold: Single homeless people s experiences of the Work Programme, Crisis
Links: Report | Crisis press release
Date: 2013-Jun
A report warned that benefits reform, particularly cuts to housing benefit such as the bedroom tax, would drive homelessness upwards in Wales.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Hal Pawson, Glen Bramley, and Steve Wilcox (with Beth Watts), The Homelessness Monitor: Wales 2012, Crisis
Links: Report | Crisis press release
Date: 2013-Jun
A report examined the causes of homelessness among young people aged 16-17, its long-term impact on them, and whether they were being effectively looked after and safeguarded by local authorities. Many young people were not being properly housed or assessed by local councils, potentially putting them at risk.
Source: No Excuses: Preventing homelessness for the next generation, Homeless Link
Links: Report | Homeless Link press release | Centrepoint press release | Depaul UK press release | YMCA press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Jun
A report said that many local council protocols in England failed to clearly indicate (as required by law) that social services were the lead authority for homeless young people aged 16 and 17. It also said that 7 per cent of local councils advocated the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for this age group 'as a matter of course'.
Source: Supporting Homeless 16 and 17 Year Olds, Law Centres Network
Links: Report | LCN press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Mar
A report said that homeless and vulnerable people were being 'disproportionately affected' by a new law that criminalized squatting in residential buildings. It said that the law had critically narrowed the options for many, and was sending homeless people to prison for seeking shelter in empty buildings.
Source: The Case Against Section 144, Squatter's Action for Secure Homes
Links: Report | SQUASH press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Mar
An article said that the European-level debate about quality standards in homeless services had developed largely in isolation from the growing consensus that homelessness was a social phenomenon that could be ended through 'housing led' approaches. As a result it ran the risk of setting homeless policy back by a generation.
Source: Mike Allen, 'Quality standards in homeless services, housing led approaches and the legacy of "less eligibility"', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 6 Number 2
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Jan
An article challenged the stereotypical view of homeless people as perpetrators, rather than victims, of crime.
Source: Clare Kinsella, 'Re-locating fear on the streets: homelessness, victimisation and fear of crime', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 6 Number 2
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined associations between the preparation for independent living that homeless people received and the outcomes of their resettlement.
Source: Maureen Crane, Anthony Warnes, and Sarah Coward, 'Preparing homeless people for independent living and its influence on resettlement outcomes', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 6, Number 2
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined the use of criminal justice systems in Europe to manage homelessness. The 'punitive turn' had been variable, and local circumstances might be more influential in shaping responses to homelessness than neo-liberalism. Punitive responses to vagrancy, and anti-begging legislation and policies, were not novel and in fact had a long history.
Source: Eoin O Sullivan, 'Varieties of punitiveness in Europe: homelessness and urban marginality', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 6 Number 2
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Jan
