Homeless Hub

The Homeless Hub

The Foundation believes homelessness in the UK is a damning and shameful indictment on our society. Being homeless is nearly always preventable and in every case can be ended. We must all work together to right this wrong .

Our Homeless Hub focuses on working in partnership with local charities dealing with homelessness. There is no limit to the number of charities we partner but each one will have a proven track record of effective support to homeless people in their area.

Homelessness is more than rough sleeping. Most homeless people feel adandoned by society.

Great charities dealing with homelessness usually focus on :

providing or arranging emergency help when needed including shelter and food
tackling poverty, poor health and hardship
guiding people to navigate “the system” to access the support they are entitled to that could improve their lives
equipping the homeless with the tools and offering them the guidance and encouragement to rebuild their lives and engage with society and local communities
building relationships that do not evangelise, nor question, nor judge but reach out to welcome and help. The dignity and independence of the individual are at the heart of their approach

What is homelessness?

Homeless people are often viewed as falling in to three categories.

Statutory homeless: judged unintentionally homeless and meet the criteria of priority need and therefore are eligible for assistance from their local authority. These households are considered to be the most vulnerable.
Rough Sleepers: visible and vulnerable people we see on our streets. Many suffer from mental health problems, substance abuse disorders and other health conditions
Hidden homeless: don’t live on the streets but don’t have their own home. The “sofa surfers” temporarily living with friends or family but also those in other temporary accommodation such as hotels, hostels, bed and breakfast or similar

What are the causes of homelessness?

nowhere to go

There are many reasons people become homeless. Poverty and unemployment combined with the lack of affordable housing are common causes. There are life events that can play a big part such as relationships breaking down, health problems, substance abuse or losing a job.

People leaving prison, care or the forces with no home to go to drift into homelessness. Women, often with their children, who are escaping a violent or abusive relationship end up homeless.

Some key facts

Rough sleepers are seventeen times more likely to have been victims of violence. One in three will have been hit or kicked.

Homeless men on average will live to age 45 and women to age 43. Compare these figures with Lesotho,calculated by UN in 2023, to have the lowest life expectancy in the world : 55 at birth and 45 at age 15.

The homeless are more than nine times likely to commit suicide.

It was estimated by Dr Laura Neilson, the chief executive of Shared Health Foundation, that 159,000 children were living in temporary accommodation over the Christmas period in 2024.

Local authorties have a duty of care for households that are homeless : categorised as relief. They also have a duty for those households likely to become homeless: categorised as prevention. There are also priority needs to be met for people to be eligible.

These figures exclude Rough Sleepers.There is no statutory obligation placed on local authorities to address their needs. The hidden homeless can often get lost in getting support until they have nowhere to go.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government report for 2023/24 covering England shows that:

324,990 households were homeless and owed a duty of care from their local authority – up by 10.4% from 2022/23
146,430 households were likely to become homeless and are entitled to support from their local authority
109,580 households with children were either homeless or likely to be homeless

Lifeshare is an important member of our Homeless Hub. They are a homeless charity based in Manchester. The charity worked with Manchester Metropolitan University on a report about frontline services for the homeless. This informative and accessible report published in October 2024 covers the huge challenges confronting the homeless and what we need to do to make homelessness a thing of the past.

Homeless Report 2024