ften taking a holistic approach and defining all those who are in ‘inadequate accommodation’ as homeless. Homelessness can be seen as a condition of detachment from society characterised by the lack of the affiliate bonds that link people into their social structures. Homelessness carries implications of belonging nowhere rather than not having a bed.

The emphasis in the definition is on ‘accommodation’ and although someone may have a roof over their head and be sheltered, this does not necessarily constitute a ‘home’. However, the act does address the issue of people who have no legal right to occupy th

The problem of homelessness is one of the oldest and most troubling problems of the society of all times. It is a vital issue that needs to be paid much attention of the government and the whole society. However there is also an opinion that homelessness is not the problem of a society but an individual one, as it is up to a person to choose the life style and the way to go in one’s life. It is an individual difficulty of a person to work and provide food and dwelling for oneself, but it is the government’s responsibility to create the conditions for safe and successful work and conditions for the one who works to be able to eventually get a dwelling.

The provision of shelter is a basic human need which is identified in Maslows hierarchy of needs as an ‘essential’ need in order to progress to ‘higher order’ needs such as belonging and love. Those without shelter are collectively termed as ‘homeless’.

This report will examine some of the reasons for homelessness in Britain, the problems that homeless people face and how the government has tackled these in the past. A brief history of housing policy is included which then leads on to current legislation intended to prevent homelessness.

Stewart remarks that homelessness is the most extreme form of housing need and that it is a failure of access to a secure home. It is therefore important to study homelessness as a social problem as Britain is a welfare state in which poverty and the housing problems and conditions of pre-war Britain were intended to be eradicated by increasing welfare provision such as social housing and social security benefits.

Indeed, the number of people seriously lacking in food, clothing, shelter and warmth was dramatically reduced (ibid) in comparison to 1930’s statistics and a massive growth in Social Service professions in the 1960’s and 70’s meant that people had greater access to quality health care, housing and advice.

Unfortunately, many problems exist today which mean that people are still experiencing problems associated with poor living conditions and the reasons why this is happening in a so-called ‘welfare state’ need to be investigated and addressed.

Pierson and Thomas term homelessness as ‘The condition of being without a home or shelter or of living in circumstances wholly inappropriate to personal and social needs.’ Definitions of homelessness tend to vary widely with those who campaign against homelessness often taking a holistic approach and defining all those who are in ‘inadequate accommodation’ as homeless. Homelessness can be seen as a condition of detachment from society characterised by the lack of the affiliate bonds that link people into their social structures. Homelessness carries implications of belonging nowhere rather than not having a bed.

The emphasis in the definition is on ‘accommodation’ and although someone may have a roof over their head and be sheltered, this does not necessarily constitute a ‘home’. However, the act does address the issue of people who have no legal right to occupy the

s to be able to eventually get a dwelling.

The provision of shelter is a basic human need which is identified in Maslows hierarchy of needs as an ‘essential’ need in order to progress to ‘higher order’ needs such as belonging and love. Those without shelter are collectively termed as ‘homeless’.

This report will examine some of the reasons for homelessness in Britain, the problems that homeless people face and how the government has tackled these in the past. A brief history of housing policy is included which then leads on to current legislation intended to prevent homelessness.

Stewart remarks that homelessness is the most extreme form of housing need and that it is a failure of access to a secure home. It is therefore important to study homelessness as a social problem as Britain is a welfare state in which poverty and the housing problems and conditions of pre-war Britain were intended to be eradicated by increasing welfare provision such as social housing and social security benefits.

Indeed, the number of people seriously lacking in food, clothing, shelter and warmth was dramatically reduced (ibid) in comparison to 1930’s statistics and a massive growth in Social Service professions in the 1960’s and 70’s meant that people had greater access to quality health care, housing and advice.

Unfortunately, many problems exist today which mean that people are still experiencing problems associated with poor living conditions and the reasons why this is happening in a so-called ‘welfare state’ need to be investigated and addressed.

Pierson and Thomas term homelessness as ‘The condition of being without a home or shelter or of living in circumstances wholly inappropriate to personal and social needs.’ Definitions of homelessness tend to vary widely with those who campaign against homelessness often taking a holistic approach and defining all those who are in ‘inadequate accommodation’ as homeless. Homelessness can be seen as a condition of detachment from society characterised by the lack of the affiliate bonds that link people into their social structures. Homelessness carries implications of belonging nowhere rather than not having a bed.

The emphasis in the definition is on ‘accommodation’ and although someone may have a roof over their head and be sheltered, this does not necessarily constitute a ‘home’. However, the act does address the issue of people who have no legal right to occupy th

ks that homelessness is the most extreme form of housing need and that it is a failure of access to a secure home. It is therefore important to study homelessness as a social problem as Britain is a welfare state in which poverty and the housing problems and conditions of pre-war Britain were intended to be eradicated by increasing welfare provision such as social housing and social security benefits.

Indeed, the number of people seriously lacking in food, clothing, shelter and warmth was dramatically reduced (ibid) in comparison to 1930’s statistics and a massive growth in Social Service professions in the 1960’s and 70’s meant that people had greater access to quality health care, housing and advice.

Unfortunately, many problems exist today which mean that people are still experiencing problems associated with poor living conditions and the reasons why this is happening in a so-called ‘welfare state’ need to be investigated and addressed.

Pierson and Thomas term homelessness as ‘The condition of being without a home or shelter or of living in circumstances wholly inappropriate to personal and social needs.’ Definitions of homelessness tend to vary widely with those who campaign against homelessness often taking a holistic approach and defining all those who are in ‘inadequate accommodation’ as homeless. Homelessness can be seen as a condition of detachment from society characterised by the lack of the affiliate bonds that link people into their social structures. Homelessness carries implications of belonging nowhere rather than not having a bed.

The emphasis in the definition is on ‘accommodation’ and although someone may have a roof over their head and be sheltered, this does not necessarily constitute a ‘home’. However, the act does address the issue of people who have no legal right to occupy th

1960’s and 70’s meant that people had greater access to quality health care, housing and advice.

Unfortunately, many problems exist today which mean that people are still experiencing problems associated with poor living conditions and the reasons why this is happening in a so-called ‘welfare state’ need to be investigated and addressed.

Pierson and Thomas term homelessness as ‘The condition of being without a home or shelter or of living in circumstances wholly inappropriate to personal and social needs.’ Definitions of homelessness tend to vary widely with those who campaign against homelessness often taking a holistic approach and defining all those who are in ‘inadequate accommodation’ as homeless. Homelessness can be seen as a condition of detachment from society characterised by the lack of the affiliate bonds that link people into their social structures. Homelessness carries implications of belonging nowhere rather than not having a bed.

The emphasis in the definition is on ‘accommodation’ and although someone may have a roof over their head and be sheltered, this does not necessarily constitute a ‘home’. However, the act does address the issue of people who have no legal right to occupy th

ften taking a holistic approach and defining all those who are in ‘inadequate accommodation’ as homeless. Homelessness can be seen as a condition of detachment from society characterised by the lack of the affiliate bonds that link people into their social structures. Homelessness carries implications of belonging nowhere rather than not having a bed.

The emphasis in the definition is on ‘accommodation’ and although someone may have a roof over their head and be sheltered, this does not necessarily constitute a ‘home’. However, the act does address the issue of people who have no legal right to occupy the accommodation that they may be residing in and thus includes them as ‘homeless people’.

Homelessness statistics are often unreliable as many people do not report themselves to local authorities as being in need of housing and figures usually reflect people who are accepted as homeless by local authority housing departments and thus are grossly underestimated. However in order to give an indication of the extent of the problem of homelessness according to local authorities in Britain, some statistics are included here.

There are many stereotypes of homeless people. They are often perceived as being ‘beggars’, ‘tramps’, addicted to drugs and alcohol and are often blamed for their own predicament. A common misconception is that homeless people are all ‘rough sleepers’ but the vast majority of homeless people are not rough sleepers and still need the help of a local authority housing department (ibid) and the voluntary sector.

Homelessness is characterised by poverty, but homeless people may not be poorer than the lower ranks of the housed population, for instance, Dispatch Online reports that a Dutchman is believed to be living rough as a tramp somewhere in Amsterdam, unaware that he has inherited a fortune. Lawyers are now searching the streets for the 43 year old, the sole surviving heir to a rich uncle who died in Heerlen. However, their state does render them more insecure and vulnerable to violence and threats especially when they are living rough.

Shelter state that people lose their homes for many reasons such as relationship breakdowns, domestic violence and eviction by landlords, however there are groups of people who may lose their homes because of the ‘system’ that they are part of. These include young people leaving care, the mentally ill leaving hospitals, low paid and unemployed people and people who are leaving the armed forces. In addition, asylum seekers not only face discrimination but severe restrictions on or the refusal of state benefits.

Young people in the care system are at a higher risk of becoming homeless. With less than one per cent of young people being taken into care in the United Kingdom, twenty two per cent of their research sample group had been in care at some point in their lives. In London alone, O’Mahoney found that thirty to forty per cent of people using the homeless facilities have had experience of the care system.

Children in the care system have often ha