The Cycle of Homelessness

According to Citizens Advice, people seeking assistance with homelessness issues has increased by 14%.  It is not only people who are living on the streets that are considered to be homeless.  It also includes those temporarily living with family or friends (sofa surfing) and people living in unreasonable or dangerous accommodation.

According to www.gov.uk the causes of homelessness are typically described as either structural or individual factors.  These can be connected or standalone issues and include poverty, inequality, housing supply and affordability, access to social security and employment issues (structural) or poor physical health, mental health, drug and alcohol problems, bereavement, relationship breakdown, experience of care or prison and refugees (individual).

Taking unemployment as an example, the cycle begins in being unable to pay the bills that leads to losing ones home.  The obvious solution to this is to find another job, but this is extremely challenging without an address.  As time passes, self-esteem and wellbeing (physical and mental) further exacerbate the cycle, often leading to drug and alcohol dependency to numb the pain of the experience.  Children who are brought up in this environment then lack the education that they require to give them the best opportunities in their adulthood.  They are often only able to find low paid work, which then does not provide enough income for them to rent or buy their own home.  Now they are also in the cycle.

Breaking the Cycle

There are many charitable organisations and government programmes to tackle the issue of homelessness but it isn’t always straightforward leading to repeat homelessness.

On 30 March 2018, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid set out a bold cross-government plan of action to significantly reduce the number of people sleeping rough, linked to the Homelessness Reduction Act.  The new package of measures includes a new Rough Sleeping Team consisting of experts with specialist knowledge across a wide range of areas from housing, mental health to addiction.  This is backed up with a £30 million fund for 2018 to 2019 and an additional £100,000 funding to support Rough Sleeping workers across the country.

A well-known charity is The Big Issue.  The magazine was launched in 1991, in response to the growing numbers of rough sleepers on the streets of London.  They offer people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income through selling the magazine to the public.  They buy the magazine for £1.25 and sell it for £2.50.  As we head towards a more and more cashless society, The Big Issue is keeping pace with technological developments providing up to 20 vendors across 5 cities with card readers.

The world famous Salvation Army provide various forms of support such as accommodation in lifehouses, drop in centres, addiction support and assistance in finding work.  Another popular organization, Shelter offers face-to-face services, a national helpline with online advice and legal support.  A simple Internet search will provide many other forms of support available.  The key is reaching out to those in need and directing them to the people that can help.

What can we do?

In my previous blog I discussed some ideas such as buying food and drink as well as donating clothing and toiletries.

Streetlink are an organization that enables members of the public to connect rough sleepers with the local services that can support them.  This is done by signing up on their website and providing the details of the person you wish to connect.  The more information you can provide the easier it will be for them to locate them.  With the colder weather, this service becomes even more valuable.

Naturally, all these charities and organizations require funding.  A simple monthly donation of even £1 will make an impact.  Don’t forget to Gift Aid any donations where appropriate.

Lastly, as previously discussed we can also give our time.  It’s free to give but gratefully received.  Whether it is simply stopping by to chat to someone or volunteering in some way, we can all find time in our lives to give. I count my blessings every day that I have the life I have.  Everyone deserves the same opportunities in life and we can all personally make a difference.

About the author: Stuart Dickson’s passion for personal development began in September 2013, when he joined a Network Marketing Company.  Part of his development is increasing his spirituality and the many ways of doing this.  His first blog, Happy Monday People was born from a project that came about from his personal development journey facebook.com/Happylifepeople

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The Positive Psychology People is co-founded and sponsored
by Lesley Lyle and Dan Collinson,
Directors of Positive Psychology Learning and authors of the
8-week online Happiness Course

The post Homelessness appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

Causes of homelessness

It is very easy to generalise as to the reasons why someone may find himself or herself as homeless.  The figure of 4,751 refers to people sleeping rough, but what about those in temporary accommodation such as shelters or hostels and those relying on sofas of friends and families?  The problem is bigger than we can imagine.  Relationship breakdowns are often cited as the reason for being homeless but does it go deeper than that.  We all face the challenges in our lives differently.  People that are dealing with mental health issues, poor health, drug and alcohol dependency, bereavement, domestic and sexual abuse and experience of the care and or judicial system are more vulnerable.  Factor in other circumstances such as poverty and lack of education and we begin to see how easily someone can fall into the vicious cycle of homelessness.  Another issue observed from my travels to the States is veterans struggling to readapt to life as a civvy, lacking the support of the nation that they put their lives at risk for.

What can we do?

It is a simple fact of life that we cannot individually help everyone, every time we see them sleeping rough.  Collectively though we can make a difference.  I can’t begin to imagine how it must feel to be on the streets, begging for money so that I can survive another day.  How must it feel to be ignored by so many people passing you by?  Are they judging you; pretending you are not there?  On the day I described at the beginning, I knew that I was going to have a lovely afternoon enjoying good food and wine with a very dear friend of mine.  I felt the impulse on this occasion to do something for the man who I stopped to chat to.  I’ll call him Sam.  I asked Sam if he would like a sandwich and a drink.  He didn’t ask for much or anything fancy.  I popped back to the station and bought him what he asked for and then went back to chat to him.  He told me that he had separated from his wife and fallen on hard times thereafter.  He had made his way to London a few weeks before and was struggling to get back on his feet.  I asked if he had access to shelter and his response was he needed over £20 for a hostel.  I realised as I looked on my Smartphone, just how much we rely on our devices.  I was able to do some research and give him some alternatives.  This is more challenging without easy access to the Internet.  I am not telling you this to seek praise.  I have passed many homeless people without even looking at them.  This particular experience made me think about the impact of just even saying hello to someone and acknowledging their existence.  That doesn’t cost anything.  It’s as simple as apologising for not having any spare change.  Since the introduction of contactless pay including with our phones, more and more of us walk around without any cash at all!  That’s why I offered to buy Sam something to eat and drink.  I had no money on me!  Having a conversation with someone can improve his or her self-worth through a very difficult time.

Other great ways to help are to donate things other than money.  Personal hygiene is important to us all and the homeless are no different.  Complimentary toiletries from hotel stays, such as hand moisturisers can be carried easily and will be gratefully received for dry cracked skin during the harsh winter months.  Other items you can give include sanitary packs for women, socks, gloves, scarves, blankets, t-shirts and other such unwanted items.  In the UK we have stores where new items of clothing can be purchased for as little as £2.  These items can be given directly to individuals or to your local shelter.  We all have unwanted items that we can donate.

Breaking the cycle

In my next blog, I will discuss the complexities of breaking the cycle of homelessness as well as look at the options of support available in The UK.  In the meantime, if we all made an effort to engage with just one person on the street in any given day, we can make a difference to them.  After all, there before the grace of God, go I!

About the author: Stuart Dickson

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The Positive Psychology People is co-founded and sponsored
by Lesley Lyle and Dan Collinson,
Directors of Positive Psychology Learning and authors of the
8-week online Happiness Course

The post Homelessness appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.