Charity highlights hidden homeless

T he average time a homeless person is without
a home is more than seven years, although often with less than two
years spent on the streets, according to a report from the
homelessness charity Crisis.

The study, conducted by Mori’s social research
institute, found that homeless people spent around five years
moving from hostels, bed and breakfast accommodation, squats and
friends’ floors and sofas. It also discovered that 37 per cent end
up sleeping on the streets immediately after leaving a hostel.

The research coincides with the publication of
Crisis’s report Hidden But Not Forgotten about the
experience of hostel residents and the launch of its campaign to
end hidden homelessness.

The report highlights the fact that “hostels
are a vital component to our response to homelessness. They are, in
many ways, the first port of call rather than the last resort.”

It recommends that the homeless sector
recognise “that hostels cannot be the end point in many people’s
journey through homelessness.”

– Hidden But Not Forgotten from 0870
011 3335.