The Homelessness We Can’t See
By Jodie Godfrey, Digital Communications Assistant, Herts Young Homeless
When someone says the word ‘homeless’, it is likely that a very specific image comes into your head. Is he sleeping outdoors on some cardboard, with a long beard, unkept, and potentially drunk? I’m also assuming that in your mind he is, indeed, a ‘he’. But the very fact you are reading this article from a homelessness charity, leads me to make more assumptions - that you care about the homeless, and that you’d like a way to help.
Homelessness can be a visual reminder that not all is right with the world. Rough sleeping is a powerful image that all of us encounter whether on our daily commute or on our way to the shops. The streets are meant to be a place for travelling through, so when they become someone’s home, it can be a disturbing and uncomfortable thought. Rough sleeping is immediately there, in front of us, open to judgement and action; open to the gaze of the public and of authorities. Visible homelessness, and the photographs that come with it, are emotive and can depict the reality of homelessness; but this only shows part of the much more complex story. This story is often one of multiple journeys between types of homelessness and accommodation.
Our personal responses to rough sleepers are often part of a routine of established reactions developed over time and we often don’t even give these brief encounters much thought after they are over. These responses are informed by a variety of political views, tacit agreements, and wider discourses surrounding poverty. Regardless of any of our (potentially stigmatised) preconceptions - whether we think the rough sleepers themselves are to blame due to erratic behaviour or drug misuse, or whether we take a step back and look at the wider picture and the flaws in the housing system - we all react differently when within metres of a rough sleeper. We may stare, avert our eyes, ignore, speak with them, give money, give food, or even not notice them at all. It can make us feel helpless and powerless as we make our way to our warm beds. The aim here is not to make anyone feel guilty, and unfortunately we don’t have a perfect answer to this massive issue. But an important notion to understand is the concept of ‘hidden homelessness’. This is the larger part of the ‘story’ I mentioned earlier.
At Herts Young Homeless (hyh), though some of the young people we help may have slept on the streets at some point, most are hidden homeless. This can be any living situation that is unsafe, unsuitable or overcrowded. The English Household Survey (EHS) estimated that in 2021 to 2022, 3% of English households (732,000) were overcrowded.
Many young people we support have been staying with friends or family on a temporary basis, known as ‘sofa-surfing’. They lack the security and stability of a permanent home. According to the EHS, from 2019 to 2021, there were 538,000 households that had someone staying with them who would have otherwise been homeless. Interestingly, women are statistically more likely than men to try and exhaust all sofa surfing options, therefore it is particularly important to pay attention to this aspect of hidden homelessness in order to understand the experiences of homelessness for women and therefore the extent of homelessness as a whole.
Many people who are hidden homeless are living in emergency temporary solutions such as bed and breakfasts or night shelters. Others may be at significant risk of losing their accommodation due to unemployment, financial problems, family breakdowns, mental and/or physical health problems, and drug dependency. Many of these problems can combine, making experiences complex and individualistic, so it can be hard for people to access the right support.
It is also important to acknowledge the intersectional experiences of homeless people from ethnic minorities, as these groups are at a higher risk of experiencing hidden homelessness. They are less likely to perceive themselves as homeless and therefore less likely to access the services they need, making their homelessness even more hidden.
Going forward, in those moments when you walk past a rough sleeper, feeling helpless and unsure what you can do to contribute, I urge you to think of organisations like hyh. Continue to give rough sleepers what you can, as individual acts of kindness are undoubtedly important, but will not be enough on their own to truly break the cycle of youth homelessness in Hertfordshire or beyond. There are fantastic services such as Street Link (https://thestreetlink.org.uk/) who aim to help those on the streets, but by donating to organisations like ours or raising awareness of our campaign to end youth homelessness, you will be part of tackling hidden homelessness, to avoid situations reaching the point of rough sleeping. It is in this way that you can help us achieve our vision - that every young person has a safe home from which they can grow and thrive.
Some helpful resources I used: