Projects
Homelessness
Current homelessness policy operates a rationing system: councils decide which homeless people should be entitled to accommodation on the basis of priority need. Out of this emerges the problem of single homelessness. Broadly speaking, families with children, and those who are vulnerable in some way, are classified as 'in priority need'. The council does not have to find accommodation for those who are not deemed to be in priority need, even though they may be homeless. The majority of this group are single adults without dependent children.
Single homeless people have been the focus of NPI's research since it began working on homelessness in 2002. Projects include estimates of numbers of single homeless people, development of cost scenarios, and development of policy proposals. The projects are summarised below.
Hidden homeless census
Not all people who are homeless will go to their local authority; not all homeless people who go to their local authorities will apply to be statutorily homeless; and not all people who are assessed as statutorily homeless are entitled to accommodation. These people, to varying degrees, constitute the 'hidden' homeless population.
Aside from the fact that majority are likely to be single, little is known about many hidden homeless people. Even in cases where they have made contact with the local authority, no detailed information is collected. Unsurprisingly, still less is known about those who do not approach the local authority at all.
The less that is known about this group - the causes of their homelessness, their needs, their situation - the easier it is to ignore them. We are therefore working with Crisis to develop a pilot survey on hidden homelessness to address this deficit in knowledge. The pilot survey will seek to ascertain whether someone is hidden homeless, and if so, will find out more about their circumstances, why they are homeless, and what could be done to help. It is the first step towards a Hidden Homeless Census, one of the key demands made in their hidden homelessness campaign launched in September 2004. For more details of their campaign, visit the Crisis website.
Review of single homeless policies
We carried out a review of Government policies that could potentially benefit single homeless people. The review aimed to focus on those policies operating outside of the Homelessness Directorate, acknowledging the wide range of factors that cause and perpetuate homelessness. It focuses on single homeless people (those without children) because many people who are not provided with accommodation are single, because such numbers appear to be growing, and because the Government tends to view single homeless people as a lower priority than homeless families.
The material is organised according to factors that case or contribute to homelessness. More specifically, there are sections on each of the following:
- Work.
- Low income.
- Education and skills.
- Advice and support.
- Housing benefit.
- Affordable rented housing.
- Health.
The review was commissioned by Crisis to inform their work on hidden homelessness and is the reference document for some of the recommendations made within the Crisis report: Hidden homelessness: 17 solutions, published in September 2004.
Coming of age: opportunities for older people under supporting people
This research, commissioned by Homeless Link and the UK Coalition on Older Homelessness, examines the challenges and proposes cost-effective solutions for Supporting People commissioners, their partner agencies and providers. The first part of the report considers the extent of the problem of homelessness among older people, including estimates on numbers and cost of services. The second part is focused on creative solutions, including examples of where service provision has and can help meet the needs of older people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
This report was written by Jenny Pannell, a freelance researcher and visiting research fellow at the University of West England, with contributions from Guy Palmer, Director of the New Policy Institute.
.Estimating hidden homelessness in London
This report provides estimates of the numbers of people in London who arguably fit the legal definition of homelessness but who have not been provided with accommodation by their local authority. The hidden homeless are grouped according to European Observatory on Homelessness categories.
The most striking aspect of the results is the extent to which single homeless people dominate each category of hidden homeless, reinforcing the point that the needs of single homeless people are not yet being met by current legislation.
This work was undertaken on behalf of the GLA as part of their programme to tackle hidden homelessness and those in housing need in London.
How many, how much?
This project aimed to estimate the numbers of single homeless people, and the cost of their homeless. The estimates used a variety of different data sources, including CORE datasets, the 2001 Census, Survey of English Housing, Housing Benefit Statistics, and Court Service Statistics. Costs were calculated on the basis of 'typical' homeless scenarios, by totalling the unit cost of each episode within the scenario.
The main findings of the research:
- The number of single homeless people at any one time is between 310,000 and 380,000. Three quarters of these are "concealed households" -those living with friends or relatives without any explicit right to do so, and in accommodation which is unsatisfactory.
- The cost of an individuals' homelessness can run to many thousands of pounds, making the economic case for spending money to reduce homelessness. The most costly elements would appear to be those associated with temporary accommodation and economic costs associated with unemployment.
- The scale of the problem and its associated costs demonstrate the need for policy makers and campaigning organisations to treat single homelessness as a serious problem, which should have a high priority. The overall policy goal should be to ensure that all homeless people receive appropriate support to help them overcome their homelessness.
Determining whether someone is homeless is not a straightforward task. The definition is broad, and the code of guidance encourages assessment on the individual circumstances of each case. It is seems inevitable, therefore, that there will be some level of disagreement about those included in a homeless count. Despite qualifications behind each assumption made, the numbers caused some debate.
View/download the executive summary.