Social Economics

Is Homelessness Society’s growing problem?

Homelessness is a serious and growing problem for the whole of Great Britain. It is not merely a ‘housing problem’ but a much more complex mixture of social and economic factors, together with ‘individual’ factors which need to be addressed and analysed in order to try and resolve the growing problem of increasing numbers of homeless people.

One could question whether society acknowledges the depth and breadth of the problem within our developed country. Statistics collated by the organisation ‘Shelter’ have reported that “ in 2003 137,220 were accepted as homeless…” Shelter.2005 [online].

‘Crisis’ is also an organisation formed to highlight homelessness within Great Britain. They estimate that there are “ 380,000 Hidden Homeless people trapped in circumstances that leave them on the fringes of society ” Crisis.2005 [online]

This figure would equate to the population of a city similar to the size of Manchester. Crisis also claims that “ this invisible city is costing Britain as much as £1.4 billion every year” Crisis. 2005[online].

Apart from the economic aspect of homelessness, the moral dilemma needs to be addressed. In a democratic, developed society, it has been agreed that habitable accommodation is a basic human right. The Law also states the need for ‘equality’ within society, requiring services to be provided and accessible to all, especially the more vulnerable members of society.

However this country is a sophisticated, democratic society that already has provision in place for national education measures, health and welfare services. There is also the argument that there are enough strategies and policies in place to enable citizens to participate fully in society if they ‘choose’ to. This highlights the ‘individual’ factor of homelessness and may indicate why a level of personal responsibility and choice is felt to be a cumulative reason for an individuals’ predicament by wider society.

Conversely, the more vulnerable groups in society tend to suffer from a higher probability of homelessness and for a wide variety of reasons. For example; unemployment, relationship breakdown, domestic violence or abuse, substance abuse, poor education, mental health issues and lack of ‘life skills’ amongst other causes. Our social conscience would debate the ‘equality’ aspect of homelessness, and question whether society has a duty to enforce equality

policies promoting the enabling of the individual to gain from services ‘lifting’ them to better standards of living, rather than assuming that providing the same or equal services to all is sufficient. After all, individuality equates to ‘uniqueness’, so should services be adapted to an individuals’ unique need where possible?

However, the socio-economic cost to society is a major concern. Homelessness can be seen to create a division within society. Those who strive to achieve a good standard of living within society may see homelessness as a drain on national resources and emphasize the negative social impact. For example, higher numbers of ‘rough sleepers’ have been linked to increased street crime and anti-social behaviour, promoting the feeling of social instability. Those feeling excluded from society can foster negative social attitudes and feel a lack of acceptance from society in general, thus creating a division within our society.

The financial cost to society may also be seen as a burden. As stated previously, ‘Crisis’ claims that homelessness is costing Great Britain £1.4 billion per year, and although the country has national health, welfare and education services, these are funded through national taxes. Ultimately, British citizens pay for their own services and these funds are not unlimited. Those who pay into society may feel that they also have the ‘choice’ to comment on how resources are distributed.

However, a democratic and fundamentally Christian society also promotes tolerance and inclusion. The Government needs to encourage society in general to debate the problem of the homeless, in order to try and resolve the problems encountered by all. Some Government strategies include encouraging Local Authorities and health and welfare agencies to work together collectively to devise local area policies and strategies, aimed at dealing with local homelessness positively. The ‘Minimum wage’ is a national strategy brought about to enable some equality within the employment market.

Also, as Great Britain becomes more densely populated, especially within urban areas, housing strategies and the promotion of affordable housing is also of paramount importance in tackling homelessness. Now that home-ownership is overtly promoted and private lettings are overtaking social housing, both rent prices and property purchase prices are rising. This is indicative of a strong industry and economy, but may be viewed as pricing a basic human need out some peoples’ financial ability.

It has been illustrated that homelessness is not merely a housing problem. Both the homeless person and wider society, especially within urban areas, experience the consequences of homelessness. For society as a whole to address the problems of homelessness, the issues highlighted must be debated and acted upon.

Bibliography

Crisis, 2005. Hidden Homeless: Britain’s Invisible City. [online] London, UK. Available at: http://www.crisis.org.uk/hidden/index.php [Accessed 18 January 2005]

Shelter, 2005. Homelessness: The Issue [online] England home. Available at: http://enngland.shelter.org.uk/policy/policy-959.cfm [Accessed 18 January 2005]

Bibliography: Crisis, 2005. Hidden Homeless: Britain’s Invisible City. [online] London, UK. Available at: http://www.crisis.org.uk/hidden/index.php [Accessed 18 January 2005] Shelter, 2005. Homelessness: The Issue [online] England home. Available at: http://enngland.shelter.org.uk/policy/policy-959.cfm [Accessed 18 January 2005]