Homelessness in London - Literature review Example

Homelessness in London Pleace, and Quilgars that England is among the most developed countries in the world. As such, it is expected to have some of the best social reforms to ensure that every English citizen and its visitors live a decent life. Although this is what foreigners expect to see when they visit England, the situation on the ground appears quite different. Burrows, Pleace, and Quilgars (2013) observed that the problem of homelessness, which has continued to bite the nation despite the social welfare reforms introduced to solve the problem. Currently, England has one of the highest percentages of people who are homeless among developed country. In 2013, for instance, about 112,070 people had nowhere to call home in England (Henley 2014, p. 6). The numbers accounted for about 26 percent increase in the past four years. This implies that the problem of homelessness is increasing despite the reforms that the government has tried to introduce to solve the problem of homelessness. Best (2014, p. 21) observes that, although homelessness is a nationwide problem experienced in almost all cities in England, London is among the English cities with the highest percentage of people who have nowhere to call home. A recent report shows that London has about 6,437 people who are homeless. The number accounts for about 75 percent increase in the past four years (Best 2014, p. 21). However, this is just a fraction of people who are living rough in London. The number of London resident without homes is believed to be higher than the number reported since there are hundred others called "hidden homeless" who are never captured during the survey. Henley (2014, p. 6) observed that, today, most London streets are full of people who have turned the streets homes. They sleep outside in the cold in the hope that they will one day find somewhere to call home. In fact, London residents had a lot of hope that the problem of homelessness would be made a thing of the past following the election of Boris Johnson as London mayor in 2008. This is after the mayor had pledged that his first major duty in the office was to tackle the problem of homelessness, which is affecting thousands of London residents. Despite all these pledges, the problem of homelessness has persisted. In fact, the numbers of people who have nowhere to call home have grown significantly since Mayor Boris Johnson assumed office in 2008. A survey conducted by homeless data Chain showed that the majority of homeless people in the streets of London had experience of some sort (Henley 2014, p. 6). According to the report, about 10% of people who live rough in London streets worked in armed forces; 10% had served in the care system while 32% had been in prison. However, notwithstanding these factors, most London residents are wondering why the problem of homelessness continues to bite the city residents despite the measures being established to combat the situation. Henley (2014, p. 6) observes that, when the term homeless is used, the majority tends to think that it implies only to those who are sleeping in the street. Nevertheless, hidden homelessness is also high in London. Statistics shows that about 400,000 London residents are affected by hidden homelessness at some point in time (Butler, P 2013, p. 4). These are people who lack somewhere to call home, but opt to seeking temporary accommodation in hotels, bars and hostels. Others sleep in cars, coaches while others seek accommodation at their friends homes where they sleep on floors and even chairs. All these happen because these London residents have no any other option. Thornley (2003) suggested that these people need help in the fastest time possible. Sleeping in the street is not only traumatizing, but also puts the life of the homeless in danger. The author reported that quite a number of people who sleep in the streets of London end up being killed because of lack of security. Others developed serious help problems, such as pneumonia because of sleeping in the cold. Women, who sleep outside on the streets are also in danger of sexual assault, which might result in rape. In fact, reports indicate that the majority of homeless women in the streets of London experience some form of sexual assault daily. Surprisingly, when asked, the majority of homeless people cite that they have been forced to sleep on the streets by circumstances beyond their control. Homelessness also makes it difficult for the majority of the homeless to hold to their jobs because they do not know where to stay after living their places of work. Causes of Homelessness in London The St Mungos Broadway (2014) report reveals that homelessness is just about to reach a crisis stage in London. The number of the homeless in London increases by each day. However, Londons homelessness is caused by a number of factors. Migration, asylum seekers and refugees, are one of the major factors for the growing problem of homelessness in London. London is Europes financial hub (St Mungos Broadway 2014). As such, people from all parts of the world tend to migrate to London in search of employment and make their lives better. In fact, London currently ranks among the most multicultural cities in the world due to increased migration. London currently comprises of people from almost all destinations in the world, the majority of who have come to seek employment and make their lives better. Of course, the majority of the migrants do get jobs in London because of the numerous opportunities available in London. Apart from immigrants, some refugees and asylum seekers who escape from their homes due to violence, rape and other bad experiences have also been coming to London in large numbers. For example, the U.K. government did set a refugee camp in the past few months for refugees and asylum seekers from Syria, which has been stricken by violence over the past few years. Most of the camps are set in London. However, research shows that because, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are a vulnerable segment of the population that is very vulnerable to homelessness. Studies attribute their vulnerability to homelessness to the fact that they do not have a network of friends and families that can provide them with support and emergency (Moore 1995, p. 22). Some experience language barriers while others do not understand how the British system operates, which makes it difficult for this vulnerable segment of London residents to access support services. For instance, statistics released by CHAIN shows that about 20 percent of the homeless in London are people from Central and Eastern European countries. Best (2014, p. 19) found that asylum and refugees from war-torn countries tend to suffer from a mental disorder, especially those who have undergone terrible ordeals, such as torture and rape. Although they find life in London better than their home countries, finding accommodation in London presents a big challenge to these people. Current estimates indicate that refugees from Eritrea, which has been affected by conflicts currently, makeup to 4% of those who have nowhere to call home in London (Best 2014, p. 21). This statistics clearly shows that increased immigration, refugees and asylum seekers are some of the major contributing factors to the problem of homelessness in London. Secondly, Ramesh and Meyer (2013, p. 12) note that the problem of homelessness in London is compounded by the high process of housing and rents in the city. A survey conducted in England recently showed that the prices of housing units and rents in London have skyrocketed over the past few years. This has made it difficult for low-income earners in the city to afford the cost or rental charges for the housing units available. As such, low-income earners who cannot afford the cost of housing in the city are forced to seek temporary accommodation in hostels or sleep in the streets as the only best option. In fact, a study shows that the majority of the homeless in London are poor people who cannot afford to pay for the high prices of houses and rental charges in the city. Shumsky (2012, p. 33) has also linked the increased homelessness to the recent financial crisis that rocked England and the U.K. at large. In fact, the U.K. was one of the countries that were hard-hit by the crisis. Evidence still shows that the U.K. has not recovered fully from the crisis. Shumsky argues that the economic crisis caused job loss to thousands of London residents as companies downsized in response to the recession. The majority of London residents who were rendered jobless hard no alternative source of income. This implied that they could no longer manage to pay for the house rents whose prices also shot up during the recession. Subsequently, the landlords kicked many London residents who defaulted to pay rental fees, forcing the majority to seek temporary accommodation in the hostels. However, those London residents who could not afford to pay for hostel and hotel accommodations opted to sleep on the streets as they search for jobs, which would allow them to rent or buy houses in the future. According to Shumsky (2012, p. 35), the problem of homelessness in London is also caused by lack of enough housing units in the city. London being Europes financial hub and largest tourism destination has experienced rapid population growth in the last few years. In July 2010, Londons population was estimated at about 7,825,200 people. By March 2011, Londons population had grown to about 8,173,941. Londons population is set to reach 11 million by the year 2050 (Best 2014, p. 21). Despite the rapid population growth in the city, the number of new house developments is not proportionate to the population growth. This has created a huge shortage of housing in London. Shortage of housing has prompted most landlords to hike the prices of houses and rents due to high demand. Unfortunately, low-income earners cannot afford to pay the high prices, thereby resulting in homelessness. Dungan (2014, p. 1) reports that several homeless families have been forced to seek temporary accommodation in hostels because of the housing shortage, which has continued to bite London in the past few years. The author reveals that these homeless families have been seeking temporary accommodation in hostels for the past few years because of the chronic shortage of affordable housing. The author proceeds to note that, although the shortage of housing is affecting the entire country, the shortage is acute in London because of the rapid population growth that has occurred in Lond in the recent past. Welfare Reforms Are a Contributing Factor to Homelessness The Greater London Authority (2014) report shows that Londoners were very enthusiastic and hopeful when the city authorities announced that it would introduce welfare reforms to help solve the problem of homelessness in the city. However, a study conducted recently shows that the welfare reforms have only worsened the problem of homelessness. The study showed that the problem of homelessness in London has surged significantly since the city authorities introducing the housing cap law. Report indicated that the problem of homelessness in London have increased by about 14% since the municipal of London introduced the welfare reform. This is a clear indication that the reform has only worsened the problem of homelessness that is biting London. For instance, report indicated that the number of homeless in London have increased by about 86% since the London Municipal authority introduced the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) law (Shelter England2014). Additionally, the problem is also expected to increase as soon as the local authorities implement its planned housing benefits cuts. This follows a report which showed that the introduction of the housing benefit cuts in borough affected about 5, 2000 tenants in which 700 of these tenants lost between £200 and £750 approximated every week (Greater London Authority 2014). The effect of this is that it triggered an upsurge in the number of people seeking homeless application. According to the Greater London Authority (2014) report, although London authorities hoped that the welfare reform would force landlords to lower rental charges within the benefit cut limit, this has never happened as most landlords have only opted to find non-housing benefit tenants who are willing to pay high rents. In fact, study shows that some landlords have gone as far as refusing to allow people on housing benefits to staying in their houses. Additionally, the housing benefits reforms have only triggered evictions of tenants by landlords thereby increasing the problem of homelessness in London as noted by Butler (2013, p. 5). Help Available For the Homeless Duga (2014) states that the London authorities led by the mayor understand that that homelessness is a problem in London and impacts negatively on the lives of victims. In response, the London authorities operate a number of initiatives to help the homeless in the city find accommodation. As things stand now, London authorities have focused on helping the homeless by providing temporary accommodation to the homeless. Statistics shows that London municipality currently spends millions of pounds in providing the homeless with temporary accommodations in hostels within and around the city. For instance, Duga (2014) report a case where over 4,000 homeless families have been given a temporary accommodation in hostels for more than two years. Currently, the London authority under the leadership of the mayor has allocated a lot of funds, which will be used to provide the homeless families with temporary accommodation. Secondly, Duga (2014) argues that the mayor of the city understand that the problem of homelessness in the city of London is caused mainly by lack of enough supply of affordable housing units for the Londoners. Therefore, as part of his strategic plan to help the homeless in the city, the major has committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing units for the Londoners. The city authority is already building several affordable housing units, which the municipality believes will help reduce the number of homeless families in the city. The housing units being built by the municipality will be available for rent. However, Londoners will also be provided with the option of buying. Currently, the mayor hopes to deliver at least 55,000 new housing units for the homeless Londoners by 2015 and is expected to cost approximately £1.8 billion (St Mungos Broadway 2014). A survey conducted in the city showed that the mayor has already began fulfilling the promise as hundreds of houses have already been built to accommodate the homeless families. Greater London Authority (2014) report shows that, apart from delivering affordable housing for the homeless, the mayor is also helping the homeless by providing support services to rough sleepers. As noted earlier, rough sleepers face a myriad of challenges in the street including cold weather, sexual assault and robbery. Therefore, to ensure that the rough sleepers are protected, the mayor has set up a raft of programs whose mandate is to support and safeguard the rough sleepers. The programs Mayors Rough Sleeping Group whose mandate is to ensure that rough sleepers are protected from security threats all night. The program is also tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that rough sleepers get amenities, such as blankets, foods and even temporary coaches to protect them from the cold weather at night. These initiatives have helped the homeless in a big way despite not ending the homeless problem in the city. Regeneration as a Solution to Homelessness Barnet (2014) observe that regeneration has proved as one of the best strategies of solving the problem of homelessness. Regeneration program has been used in several countries including Wales and Scotland. In these countries, the regeneration program has helped ensure that housing units are refurbished making them usable by the homeless (Andrew 2004, p. 128). Therefore, there is no doubt that if properly implemented; regeneration will help in solving the problem of homelessness that is biting hard on London. In fact, a regeneration project is already ongoing in Cricklewood Brent Cross whose completion would see more housing units refurbished, and others developed to house the homeless. Another regeneration project is also underway in Dollis Valley, West Hendon and Grahame Park all of which are expected to result in the replacement of the existing housing units with n modern mixed-tenure housing (BBC News 2014, p. 1). The creation of the mixed-tenure housing units will help ensure that several people are housed, thereby helping minimize the problem of homelessness in London City. Additionally, Barnet (2014) reveals that the government is also working with the mayor of London in ensuring that regeneration of Gospel Oak to create more new homes for the Londoners. The government plans to extend the area to Barking Line and Barking Riverside. The regeneration program is expected to result in the construction of at least 11,000 new homes. Since the regeneration programs will create more new homes, there is no doubt that the initiative will result in a significant reduction in the number of the homeless in London. This is because the houses will be charged prices, which are affordable to the average earner. Other Solutions to the Crisis Shelter England (2014) report acknowledges that homelessness has far-reaching consequences on the victims. However, it is surprising that people still live on the streets because of lack of nowhere to call home. This is particularly embarrassing for a developed city like London, which is not only the Europes economic and financial hub, but also the largest tourist destination. Nevertheless, there are rafts of measures and initiatives, which can be employed by the mayor and city authorities to the homelessness problem in the city. The first measure should be to offer training to young employees (Shelter England 2014). A study conducted in London showed that the majority of residents who become homeless are young adults, the majority of whom have just left institutions, such as foster care and prisons. Most of these young adults lack the basic skills required to get employed. As a result, they end up roaming in the street without anywhere to go because they cannot afford to pay for the houses. Therefore, to solve the housing crisis in London, city authorities should consider providing training to young adults in the city. This will help them acquire the basic skills that employers are looking for before awarding employment. With employment, the youths will have the money to rent houses, thereby solving the problem of homelessness. Paulsen (2007, p. 11) also suggests that, the London city authorities should consider tackling homeless in the city by raising the welfare rates. Currently, city authorities do not need another research to understand that the majority of Londoners become homeless since they cannot afford to pay rent. Therefore, instead of embarking on rescuing the homeless as has been the case, the mayor and the city authorities should initiate a welfare program which would involve the government paying part of the rent to the homeless. For instance, London authorities can consider paying 50% of the rental charges on behalf of the homeless. Such an initiative will certainly help solve the problem of homelessness since the majority ends up on the streets because they cannot pay the rents, which costs have skyrocketed over the past few years. Thirdly, Bhugra (2007, p. 44) reckons that the problem of homelessness can be solved effectively through trade fairs. From the literature, it became clear that part of the reason why people become homeless is the inability of the homeless to navigate the complex procedures and programs intended to help them. For instance, the majority of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees end up homeless in London because they do not understand how the British system operates. Therefore, the best initiative to help such homeless people is to organize a trade fair for the homeless people to teach them how the British system operates. The trade fairs will help them understand how the British system operates and how to navigate the programs and procedures to get help. The trade fairs program was tested in Francisco, Connecticut where it help solve the problem of homelessness, notes London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (2014). Conclusion Homelessness is a major problem in England today. Estimates indicate that more than 112,070 people are homeless in England. However, the problem of homelessness in England is particularly felt in London, where at least 6,437 are rough sleepers with more than 400,000 others living under hidden homelessness. Although the mayor of London promised to tackle the issue upon taking office in 2008, the problem of homelessness continues to bite in London. The major causes of homelessness in London, according to reports, include high prices of housing, increased migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, as well as the housing shortage. Other causes include the welfare reforms, which has only worsened the problem. Despite the existence of the problem, the mayor of the city has initiated various programs aimed at tackling the problem. These include constructing new housing units, providing support services to the homeless, as well as supporting the regeneration programs. Nevertheless, for London to tackle the problem permanently, the mayor should consider providing training to young adults who are vulnerable to homelessness, raising welfare rates and organizing educational trade fairs for the homeless. References Andrew, B 2004, Homelessness [Vol. 2] Written evidence: House of Commons papers 2003-04 1116-Ii. The Stationery Office, London. Barnet 2014, Regeneration projects, viewed 24 Oct. 2014 http://www.barnet.gov.uk/info/823/regeneration_projects/840/regeneration_projects BBC News 2014, ‘Budget 2014: London regeneration and housing plans,’ BBC News, 19 March, p. 1. Best, J 2014, Anti-homeless spikes removed from London apartments after 130,000 sign petition,’ Mirror, 13 June, p. 21. Bhugra, D 2007, Homelessness and mental health. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Burrows, R., Pleace, N., & Quilgars, D 2013, Homelessness and social policy. Routledge, Cambridge. Butler, P 2013, ‘Flagship Tory council: welfare reforms are causing the homelessness surge,’ The Guardian, 17 October, p. 5. Butler, P 2013, ‘Number of rough sleepers rises again in London,’ The Guardian, 20 June, p. 4. Dugan, E 2014, ‘Housing shortage leaves homeless families ‘stuck’ in hostels for two years,’ The Independent, 6 August, p. 1. Greater London Authority 2014, Helping people in housing need, viewed 24 Oct. 2014 https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/housing-land/tackling-homelessness-overcrowding Greater London Authority 2014, Doors closing on housing benefit claimants, 8 April, viewed 24 Oct. 2014 https://www.london.gov.uk/media/assembly-press-releases/2014/04/doors-closing-on-housing-benefit-claimants Henley, J 2014, ‘The homelessness crisis in England: a perfect storm,’ The Guardian, 25 June, p. 6. London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham 2014, Homelessness prevention, 28 Aug. 2014, viewed 24 Oct. 2014 http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Directory/Housing/Housing_advice/Homelessness/21900_Homelessness_prevention.asp Moore, J 1995, The faces of homelessness in London. Dartmouth, London. Paulsen, M 2007, ‘Seven solutions to homelessness,’ The Tyee, 8 January, p. 11. Ramesh, R., & Meyer, H 2013, ‘Homelessness rises along with house prices in London and south-east,’ The Guardian, 5 December, p. 12. Shelter England2014, Homeless in London, viewed 24 Oct. 2014, http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/homeless_and_on_the_streets/homeless_in_london Shelter England 2014, Tackling homelessness, viewed 23 Oct. 2014 http://england.shelter.org.uk/campaigns/why_we_campaign/tackling_homelessness Shumsky, N. L 2012, Homelessness: A documentary and reference guide. ABC-CLIO, London. St Mungo’s Broadway 2014, Facts about homelessness, viewed 24 October 2014 http://www.mungosbroadway.org.uk/homelessness/facts Thornley, A 2003, The crisis of London. Routledge, London. Read More