Page 13 - OCF Oxfordshire Uncovered

For every rough sleeper, there are around 100 people in hostels, and 1,100 households in overcrowded accommodation
“I became homeless about ve years ago as a result of domestic abuse... He started tearing the house up, knocking me about, screaming... We left with nothing.”
Clare, featured in Not Just Homeless by Oxford Homeless Pathways
Almost 1 in 10 of the UK’s population will be homeless at some point in their life, be it ‘sofa-sur ng’, in a hostel, or rough sleeping.
In Oxfordshire there are approximately:
• 200 households in temporary accommodation (such as B&Bs or on friends’ sofas)
• 300 people in supported accommodation such as hostels (who would otherwise be rough sleeping)
• 500 homeless households (a family or individual who has applied for local authority housing support and been judged to be homeless)
• 90 rough sleepers.
The issue of homelessness is particularly acute in Oxford city, and the count of rough sleepers has increased by 50% in a year.
All of these numbers are in constant ux, as the personal circumstances of each individual can change on a daily basis. Homeless charities believe that published gures signi cantly underestimate the scale of the homelessness problem, and some charity heads are warning that in the context of severe local government cuts, places like Oxford could see the re-emergence of shanty towns on our streets.
What is more, council gures show that the number of households prevented from becoming homeless has been on the rise. This suggests that there is a large number of households on the brink of homelessness.
So what does this look like in terms of the impact on our communities and individual members of our society? Homelessness is undoubtedly exacerbated by systemic factors such as economic inequality and the housing crisis. However, getting to grips with this particular social problem means acknowledging that it is not just about physical access to housing. The most common reasons people give for losing their
accommodation are that a friend or relatives are no longer able to provide support, or because of relationship breakdown.
Socio-cultural issues linked to homelessness include mental health, drug and alcohol misuse, crime and sexual exploitation – although it is often very dif cult to determine whether these are the original causes of homelessness, or a side effect of the harsh living conditions it entails.
Homeless people do not have a secure place in which to sleep at night, to keep their possessions, to eat or wash in, or to give as an address to friends, potential employers or authorities. It is hard to imagine that anything but the minority of cases have come about by choice. What homeless people need more than ever is compassion.
On average homeless people die at just 47 years old
Housing and homelessness
HOMELESSNESS
What is a homeless person? When asked this question, most of us will picture a rough sleeper. However, in its broadest sense homelessness is the problem faced by people who lack a place to live that is supportive, affordable, decent and secure.
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