Homelessness: a way of life?
A walk down Broad Street or St Giles would be enough to convince most people that Oxford has a serious problem with homelessness. It seems, too, from talking to several homeless people that local authorities are not doing enough to combat this situation.
First, some statistics: the housing charity Shelter estimates that around 46,300 individuals in the south east are officially recognised as homeless. Around 65% of these are classified as "homeless in priority need", meaning families, the elderly, the ill or the disabled. Perhaps surprisingly, some 3000 people of the total number of homeless are categorised as "intentionally homeless", in that they have left home voluntarily and not in response to abuse or neglect. Only about half of all homeless households were given temporary accommodation in 1999, and around a quarter of this number had to stay in hostels or B&B's. This is where the numbers stop adding up, however, as counts of rough sleepers in Oxford recorded only 84 people sleeping rough on a given night - still the highest level outside London. This figure does seem surprisingly low, especially given the large numbers of people seen on the streets during the day. The Government's Social Exclusion Unit suggests that this is because many of these people "do have somewhere to stay, if only temporarily, but come to the streets for company or begging opportunities."
This doesn't do much to fight the stereotype of scrounging beggars secretly living in luxury that has recently been perpetuated by the more hysterical wing of the tabloid press. (Whether there is a less hysterical wing is debatable, but you get the point). However, the above figures are only for local authority actions, with the bulk of homeless people finding accommodation through squats or shelters. Oxford City Council seems content to leave these charitable organisations to fend for themselves, recently vetoing a proposed initiative that would have provided a range of new facilities, including overnight accommodation, on the grounds of cost.
A look at the 1996 Housing Act reveals confusion over how much councils are obliged to do for homeless people. Unfortunately, the only concrete duty bearing upon local authorities seems to be that advisory services should be provided regarding the prevention of homelessness. Although authorities are advised that they should assist those in priority need by providing them with housing for at least two years, this honourable intention is hamstrung by a number of stipulations which may discourage some homeless people from applying. The need to register with the council, and to keep records of expenditure, is likely to be a factor in dissuading the more vulnerable homeless from seeking help when squatting may provide a less restrictive environment. This desire for freedom from institutional interference may also explain the odd situation for Oxford's overnight shelters. A survey in 1996 showed that while 39 rough sleepers were found one night, there were 47 empty beds available, suggesting that the problem is not to be solved simply by providing more beds.
One possible explanation for this discrepancy can be seen in some of the typical social characteristics of homeless people. Most are young and have left home due to circumstances beyond their control. Centrepoint, a charity housing young people at risk, claims that 75% of their female residents ran away from home because of physical or sexual abuse. Moreover, 28% of their residents had been in local authority care at some stage, and over half of these had run away on previous occasions. A fear of authority has been instilled into many homeless people, making them suspicious of approaching councils for help. Education may also be a factor, as while authorities have a statutory duty to provide free information, many young runaways may not be aware of this, especially as almost half of Centrepoint's residents have a school record that is at best sporadic.
It seems, then, that an easy solution to Oxford's homelessness problem is unlikely to be found. The law is not especially clear as to what councils must do, and even if it were, much work still remains to be done in convincing the homeless that they have a valid place in society. Tony Blair talks of "joined up solutions to joined up problems", but this particular problem seems at present to be more knotted than most.
8th Jun 2000