LG

Homelessness is an isolating and destructive experience and homeless people are some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded in our society.

Homelessness is a problem throughout the UK, although it is more prevalent in urban centres, especially in London.

Homelessness is about more than rooflessness. A home is not just a physical space, it also has a legal and social dimension. A home provides roots, identity, a sense of belonging and a place of emotional wellbeing. Homelessness is about the loss of these. Homelessness is costly to the individual, society and the state.

People become and stay homeless for a whole range of complex and overlapping reasons and solving homelessness is about much more than putting a roof over people's heads. Many homeless people face a number of issues in addition to, but often compounded by, their homelessness. The isolation and destructive nature of homelessness means that homeless people find it difficult to access the help they need.

Crisis research[7] has found that, for many homeless people, social isolation preceded homelessness and the experience of homelessness then exacerbates that isolation.

Informal support, such as that provided by family members and friends, can be extremely valuable for all of us, but they can be especially key to a better future for someone with experiences of homelessness.

However, the main cause of homelessness is widely accepted as being relationship breakdown (such as disputes with parents, domestic abuse, marital breakdown or bereavement) and many homeless people do not have any contact with their families.

Alongside the lack of informal support networks, isolation and loneliness are common among people who are homeless. Less than a third of homeless people spend time with non-homeless people, and almost 38% of homeless people said they spent their entire day alone. A third of homeless men reported that their only daily contact was with service providers, and more than half of homeless people said they had no ‘family ties'[8].

Isolation of this kind erodes people's capability (e.g. employability, skills, knowledge, etc) as well as their resilience or ability to cope with life's adverse events, including having the ability to overcome life's difficulties[9].

It is important to emphasise that isolation and loneliness are also commonly experienced after people have been re-housed into permanent housing and are often linked to tenancy breakdown and repeated episodes of homelessness. One in four ex-homeless people find themselves unable to sustain a tenancy, with loneliness and isolation the main causes of this[10].

Building people's skills and confidence, engaging them with society, offering opportunities for volunteering and linking them to others, for example through mentoring, all help break isolation.