To think it's nonsense to believe that people chose homelessness?

[credflow012]

My friend is studying homelessness as part of a project in his sociology class. We were having a discussion last weekend and his belief was that anyone can become homeless but that he doesn't have much sympathy for the long-term homeless because most of them were addicts.

I found this ignorant and a bit offensive. Yes, people with substance-use disorder are overrepresented amongst the homeless but from volunterring with the homeless in college, I know that many started using after becoming homeless not the other way round. Mental illness, childhood trauma, and physical disabilites are very common in the chronic homeless and knowing how terrible healthcare is for the mentally ill and disabled even in many developed countries, I can't imagine how I'd personally be able to get out of that situation.

Your friend would do well to work in any services supporting homeless people- meet a few people, understand the disadvantages they have suffered and the trauma misfortune they have experienced . He might feel differently afterwards.

He doesn’t sound very clever

I think a very small number of people do choose to be homeless. A very small number, though. I've encountered one or two.

But homelessness isn't about the lack of homes, is it? It's about deeper problems, as pps have said. Addiction, mainly, or mental health issues, which make it either difficult for the person to live independently or hellish for their neighbours.

My daughter has a very, very difficult anti-social, addicted man living next door to her and it's caused her a lot of stress, fear and misery and taken away any feeling of security in her own home.

If it was simple to solve the problem, it would have been done by now.

I dont think it's nonsense to believe that SOME people choose to be homeless but it's certainly not the norm for most people.

I think if he submits his project with the conclusion that addicts choose homelessness he will get a very poor grade for not exploring the subject in any depth.

What is the definition of homeless? Street sleepers or those placed in temporary accommodation?

Addiction is the symptom, not the cause. I can’t imagine living on the streets for any length of time without developing an addiction (I’d probably rely on cheap alcohol)

Studies, in Scandinavian countries, have shown that if you give homeless people (those with addiction issues and sleeping on the streets) a no strings attached home and make mental health treatment available when THEY want it they eventually get clean and most become functional members of society.

I had a friend who died of multiple organ failure due to alcoholism. She tried to engage with mental health services but her memories/demons were just too painful for her to bring up. She just couldn’t face them, she knew she was going to die and genuinely thought that the people who loved her would be better off with her dead.

some people just can’t recover from things that they’ve experienced.

If you can reach effective zero for homelessness, it's not a choice.

If you have good services; health, mental health, women's services, trauma services, addiction services, supportive housing, support for PDs and head injuries, cheap housing... you get (effectively) no homelessness.

I wouldn't suggest homework for him, he deserves a low mark. But for your information, look at anywhere from Finland to Medicine Hat for communities that have effectively managed this.

make-the-shift.org/homelessnessaction/

Good place to start.

I know that many started using after becoming homeless not the other way round

Yes this is true OP. Backed up by numerous studies - and tbh it's common sense to realise that too. People start self medicating to try to cope with the horrors of homelessness.

Of course the self medicating prior to being homeless is also an issue. People who've experienced terrible life circumstances and been failed by underfunded and/or poorly run public services.

Separately, especially nowadays with inflated house prices (to rent as well as buy) many homeless people have no substance issues. No mental health issues either (except for the obvious trauma of being homeless).

It's very simply that housing is too expensive and there's a shortage of social housing.

It's bizarre that anyone on MN would think otherwise. They must see the fairly frequent threads where someone can't get a rental because the landlord wants a high income multiple or doesn't accept benefits or children.

I realise your friend might not be a typical visitor to MN but I recommend you direct him here so he can see those threads.

I've reported this delight.

@CoffeeCantata I agree. I have worked with a handful of people who have chosen to be street homeless for a variety of different reasons. It’s unusual, but it does happen.

I have worked with homeless people for years and I am still yet to meet a single person that truly chose homelessness. I have met people so mentally unwell they abandon their homes as they become extremely paranoid in them and think someone is watching them etc. But I wouldn’t really call this a choice. I have met people whose addiction has had them repeatedly spend the rent money on whatever substance until they are inevitably thrown out. Again wouldn’t really call this a choice, especially as these individuals tend to from the most terrible backgrounds, masking all kinds of traumas from childhood and very often been addicted since childhood.

Just to add, some people claim homelessness "is a choice" when they do victim blaming examples of homeless "housing.

They ignore or are ignorant of the fact that often this "housing" is substandard and unsafe (costs taxpayer billions though - and more social housing would be cheaper, as well as morally better). Some homeless people "choose" the streets over unsafe homeless "housing". That's not a choice to be homeless. It's choosing the lesser of two evils. They shouldn't have to have either evil. The UK needs more social housing asap. (And well-funded and effective public services - to provide prompt and effective support).

It's also one-size fits all - so vulnerable low waged families, disabled people, and DV victims, are "housed" together with people who have addiction issues or ex prisoners. The latter two groups absolutely need help too but it's incredibly inappropriate and unsafe to house all homeless groups together.

There's also the issue that some have pets who are a source of support to them, but hostels etc won't take them. So you're asking them to give up their main support line. Sure, you could count them as voluntarily homeless, but are they really? or people who won't/shouldn't go into hostels with addicts as they would slide back. It's a tough one and by no means clear cut.

Many victims of child abuse, domestic abuse, veterans, ex prisoners, people with addictions, mental health issues and those in poverty end up homeless. With the price of rents we've got a lot of working homeless.

For the vast majority it's a failure of the state, not a choice.

I worked in homelessness services for a while. Some rough sleepers were 'institutionalised' in that they had adapted to surviving this way and used day centres and other services. Some found hostel rules onerous/restrictive or were very wary of authority, and it took time to build trust. Hostels back in the day could be rough/intimidating (esp the large, men-only dormitory ones). I recall some ppl would call our helpline for a hostel place only as the weather worsened. Hostels also had rules re admission (typically no one with a history of arson or violence) and said they would not admit anyone who had been drinking/taking drugs (although I recall they turned a blind eye to small degrees of this).

I highly fucking doubt it I'm mortgage free, I'd have to gamble my entire estate away for that time happen lol

But homelessness isn't about the lack of homes, is it?

@CoffeeCantata
It's the lack of affordable homes.
It really is that simple.

Millions of people are in temporary accommodation (btw that costs the taxpayer billions - much more costly than building more social housing). Millions more are in unsafe housing circumstances.

Re your daughter's neighbour. I'm so sorry for your daughter. It's an awful situation and this sort of thing needs to change.

Whilst the majority of homeless people are simply on low incomes (lower paid jobs, disabled, carers etc), there's separately people like your daughter's neighbour. Who isn't homeless - but is inappropriately housed.

Additional to the need for more social housing, there's a need for genuine supported housing - for people like your daughter's neighbour. With live-in well-trained support staff.

Your friend would do well to work in any services supporting homeless people

I don't think they'd want him.

A typical example of how you can be surrounded by all the money in the world and yet have nothing....

I sometimes volunteer as an independent advocate.

NOBODY chooses to be homeless. NOBODY.

There are people who STRUGGLE to manage a home when they have one, because they are living with so many difficulties, that paying bills, working for pay, organising a home etc, they can't manage it. They try, but they can't cope. They end up back on the streets, or if they're lucky (and I say that in the loosest sense of the word) they will be given a place in supervised living. Those places are usually awful but the funding for them is practically non-existant, it's not going to be a great experience for anyone. Anyone caught with alcohol or substances will end up being thrown out, so if you're someone struggling with addiction, you're basically being set up to fail if you don't have a decent support structure.

People still think addiction is a choice, and it's not. Not everyone can cope with running a home, and I lot of people really need to recognise that.

Goodness yes. Let's not inflict him on the homeless and their support workers. They suffer enough.

Also see; Christmas homeless tourism. Yuk.