How many people are homeless?
There is no national figure for how many people are homeless across the UK. This is because homelessness is recorded differently in each nation, and because many homeless people do not show up in official statistics at all.
The most severe and visible form of homelessness is rough sleeping. On any one night official estimates show almost 5,000 people are sleeping rough in England. However, this is probably an underestimate. The charity Crisis estimates that the true figure is about 8,000.
Rough sleeping increased by 165% between 2010 and 2018.
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Why is homelessness increasing?
People become homeless for lots of different reasons.
The general shortage and unaffordability of housing is the critical underlying factor for all forms of homelessness. Loss of rented accommodation (Shorthold Tenancy Agreement – STA) is now the leading cause of statutory homelessness.
People can become homeless when they leave prison, care or the army with no home to go to. Many homeless women have escaped a violent relationship.
For many, life events like a relationship breaking down, losing a job, mental or physical health problems, or substance misuse can be the trigger.
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What can I do to help someone who is homeless?
Experience tells us that the best way to help homeless people is to support organisations that can work with them to tackle the underlying causes of their situation, such as addiction or poor mental health – providing a whole package of support to help people off the streets for good.
There are a number of things we can all do to help homeless people:
Who can use The Connection?
We offer services to people who are rough sleeping in Westminster. If you are rough sleeping, you can access our resource centre and day services, free of charge.
Anyone who is new to us will be offered an assessment to establish how best we can work together to meet their goals and aspirations. We will then agree an action plan to work towards, supported by an allocated caseworker.
Night shelters have been shut since the start of the pandemic. We have been working with our local partners to offer people who were rough sleeping in Westminster short-term temporary emergency accommodation options, often in re-purposed hotels. These projects have specific criteria for referrals by our own staff, or by one of the organisations we work with, lThe Passage, St Mungo’s and Great Chapel Street Medical Centre.
Accommodation options in Westminster can be very limited so a large part of our work is focused on reconnecting people back to their home area, if appropriate, where they can access local services and housing.
How do you reach out to people on the streets?
Our day time Street Engagement Team provides a proactive response to the issues of rough sleeping, begging and street population in Westminster.
Our dedicated Advisors go out and about in pairs during shifts, which take place between 7am and 7pm. Where we go is guided by referrals we receive from the local community and our own knowledge of rough sleeping, begging and anti-social behaviour across the borough.
During shifts, Advisors identify and engage with new clients, as well as checking in on people we already know.
You can find out more about our outreach team, here.
Should I give money to people I see on the street?
Deciding whether or not to give money to someone you see begging is a personal choice, and we know that many of you want to help when you see people experiencing hardship – which we appreciate enormously.
A conversation is often a great place to start. Just by acknowledging someone, you reaffirm that they are there, they are seen and that they matter, which can go a long way.
Asking if they would like some food or drink can be a great way to support someone, or some people hand out vouchers for people to get themselves some food or clothes, giving people back autonomy over their own decisions.
Many of the people we encounter (more than 50% in a recent assessment) are begging to fund drug, alcohol or gambling addictions, which are extremely harmful to their health. Receiving money like this can reduce their ability to get off the streets. We believe that the best way to help is to support organisations that work with people to tackle the underlying causes of their situation, such as addiction or poor mental health – providing a whole package of support to help them off the streets for good.
There are many ways in which you can support our work with people in their journey off the streets – find out here about fundraising or volunteering for charities like The Connection.
What about tents?
The number of people sleeping in tents in our town and city centres is increasing.
A tent does not provide a suitable home for anyone. Whilst we recognise that people give tents out of kindness and to protect rough sleepers from the elements, in our experience, living in tents can have serious negative consequences.
Tents can unintentionally sustain someone in a position of rough sleeping, providing a ‘sticking plaster’ for their immediate concerns that prevents them from addressing the underlying causes of their homelessness and moving away from the streets in a sustainable way.
We have also encountered situations where tents have posed significant safety risks for people living in them – for example incidents of sexual assault, domestic violence, or tents being set up in dangerous places too close to roads.
A closed tent is also a significant barrier for an outreach worker trying to help a rough sleeper. In the most tragic circumstances, people have died in tents because they were hidden from view and so didn’t receive help they desperately needed.
Staying in emergency accommodation is far better for people than sleeping in a tent. It is safer and comes with an assessment of needs and support to access the broader range of services that can help people find a sustainable, longer term route off the street.
There are a number of things we can all do to help homeless people:
Can people get benefits if they don’t have an address?
Yes. Many day centres, including ours, offer an address to enable people to collect mail but you don’t have to have a fixed address to start a benefit claim.