Introduction

“One life-changing event away from homelessness”, said the facilitator as I was sitting in a training session while working at the London Borough of Croydon. That is my story in a nutshell; relationship breakdown and loss of home and job had sent me to my local authority in need of help with housing. As I had a three-year-old son, I was entitled to a home under the Housing Act 1985. While my case was investigated, I was put into temporary accommodation and, subsequently, given a secure tenancy.

My emotions on being rehoused are hard to describe. I was delighted and relieved, and could see a settled future for my son and I. In that instant, I realised that secure housing is the very foundation stone of society, and that without it, people are doomed to an insecure and unhealthy life. The brutal fact is that street homeless people die at a much younger age than the national average, and while the headline cause of these deaths is often drug and alcohol abuse, it is hard to oversee the chicken-and-egg nature of substance abuse and a lack of stable housing. Without a stable abode, many lack the self-respect and security to seek the treatment needed to overcome these lifestyle issues.

Besides the obvious negative effects of rough or insecure sleeping, in a broader sense, family stability, mental and physical welfare, employment and educational opportunities, and a true sense of worth and belonging are essential prerequisites for a healthy and happy society. The cost implications of marginalising any section of society are great, and homelessness, as well as being hugely distressing and stressful to those suffering from it, has a ripple effect as it occasions expensive and time-consuming interventions. In short, it is less expensive to house people adequately and securely than it is to deal with them once they are on the streets.

When I returned to work in 1990, I went into a local authority housing office as a receptionist, quickly becoming fascinated by the subject, and began a career progression that took me through positions as a housing officer, a homeless persons officer, a residents participation coordinator and a housing project leader.