Homelessness

This topic area covers statistics and information relating to homelessness in Hull including local strategic need and service provision. Information on the impact of Housing on health and data on housing type and household composition is covered within the Health and Wellbeing Influences section.

This page contains information from the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ Fingertips. Information is taken ‘live’ from the site so uses the latest available data from Fingertips and displays it on this page. As a result, some comments on this page may relate to an earlier period of time until this page is next updated (see review dates at the end of this page).

Headlines

• Homelessness describes a variety of circumstances: people who are roofless (rough sleeping), those living informally with friends or acquaintances (for instance, “sofa surfing”) as well as those threatened with the loss of, or are unable to continue with, their current accommodation. The term also covers those who are living in temporary accommodation, for instance, hostels.
• A household is considered statutorily homeless if a local authority decides that they do not have a legal right to occupy accommodation that is accessible, physically available and which would be reasonable for the household to continue to live in.
• Homelessness is more likely to occur in populations who already experience wider inequalities, for instance, those experiencing financial hardship.
• The physical and mental health needs of people that are at risk of homelessness is likely to be worse than the general population. The prevalence of behavioural and lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, poor diet, drugs and alcohol are also higher. Those who are homeless repeatedly are also significantly more likely to use acute health services more frequently than the general population.
• Homelessness severely affects life expectancy. In England and Wales the average age of death of a homeless person is 45 for men and 43 for women, compared to 76 and 81 years amongst the general population.
• It was estimated that there were 11 rough sleepers in Hull during the Autumn rough sleeping (snapshot) undertaken in October 2021, but this does not include the ‘hidden homeless’ (for instance, those who were “sofa surfing” with friends and family) so is likely to be an underestimate of the true picture of need.
• In the year to March 2019:  874 households were threatened with homelessness and 1,687 households were deemed as homeless.  1,235 households were helped to secure accommodation for 6 months or more.  On 31 March 2019, the number of households in temporary accommodation was 22.
• Based on local information, there are 40-60 people with severe and multiple disadvantages who are at risk of being homeless but who are reluctant to engage with services and are not eligible for re-housing due to past tenancy history or other barriers.
• It is likely due to changes in employment circumstances throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, that many households have fallen into arrears with rent and mortgage payments, and that the impact of the pandemic on homelessness is likely to be felt for a considerable time. Furthermore, the increased cost of energy, food and other products is likely to have a significant negative impact on people’s ability to maintain their accommodation.
• Hull’s Preventing Homeless Strategy and action plan has two key priorities improving access to housing and preventing homelessness, and relieving homelessness and preventing rough sleeping. 
• The quarterly Preventing Homelessness Focus Group meetings provides a multi-agency forum for partners to work jointly on preventing homelessness and developing appropriate services and support for people who are homeless. 

The Population Affected – Why Is It Important?

People described as homeless is anyone sleeping rough (or with ‘no fixed abode’) or under imminent threat of losing, or unable to continue with, their current accommodation.

The Homelessness Reduction Act introduced new duties which means that significantly more households are being provided with a statutory service by local housing authorities than before the Act came into force in April 2018. The Homeless Reduction Act introduced new prevention and relief duties, that are owed to all eligible households who are homeless or threatened with becoming homeless, including those single adult households who do not have ‘priority need’ under the legislation.

Poor health can both contribute to, and result from, homelessness and homelessness in early years can damage a child’s life chances. The physical and mental health needs of people are homeless is much worse than the general population, and they attend A&E much more frequently and use four times as many acute hospital services than the general population, with a high cost to the NHS and public services. The prevalence of behavioural and lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, poor diet, drugs and alcohol are also higher than in the general population. From the Office for National Statistics, the average age at death of a homeless person was 45 years for males and 43 years for females in 2018; compared to 76 years for men and 81 years for women amongst the general population.

Homelessness is more likely in populations who already experience wider inequalities, for example, those with mental health or substance misuse problems, experiencing domestic abuse, involved with criminal justice system and those with multiple and complex needs, Gypsies and Travellers, sex workers, and migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers.

Homelessness is bad for all our health, and wealth. Homelessness is a measure of our collective success, or otherwise, in reducing inequalities.

The Hull Picture

Homeless

The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ Fingertips includes information on the numbers of homeless households.

The number of households owed a prevention or relief duty under the Homelessness Reduction Act, during the financial year. Prevention duties include any activities aimed at preventing a household threatened with homelessness within 56 days from becoming homeless. Relief duties are owed to households that are already homeless and require help to secure settled accommodation.

The figures all relate to the crude rate per 1,000 estimated households. Dependent children are those who are aged under 18 years and living at home, but an 18 year old can also count as dependent if they’re in full time education or can’t support themselves for other reasons, and they live at home.

The rate of homeless households owed a duty under the Homeless Reduction Act in Hull is around twice as high as England and the Yorkshire and Humber region for all groups (overall, those with dependent children, where the main applicant is aged 16-24 years and where the main applicant is aged 55+ years).

The number of homeless households in temporary accommodation is significantly lower than England, although the same as the region with 0.8 homeless households in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households.

Between 2019/20 and 2020/21, the number of households owed a duty under the Homeless Reduction Act reduced in Hull from 2,969 to 2,530 households.

The Coronavirus Act 2020 provided protection to social and private tenants by delaying when landlords can evict tenants in certain situations. The provisions in the Act increased the notice periods landlords were required to provide to tenants when seeking possession of a residential property between 26 March 2020 and 30 September 2021. Between 1 June 2021 and 30 September 2021, notice periods were required to be at least four months except in the most serious cases such as egregious rent arrears or anti-social behaviour. From 1 October 2021, all notice periods returned to the pre-pandemic position. This means the minimum period of notice must be given.

This increased protection to tenants is could be a contributory factor to the reduction in the number of households facing homelessness in Hull during 2020/21.

There were 640 households owed a duty under the Homeless Reduction Act among households with dependent children in Hull for 2020/21 which was a reduction from 803 since the previous year.

There were 624 households owed a duty under the Homeless Reduction Act among households where the main applicant was aged 16-24 years in Hull for 2020/21 which was a reduction from 768 since the previous year.

There were 163 households owed a duty under the Homeless Reduction Act among households where the main applicant was aged 55+ years in Hull for 2020/21 which was a slight reduction from 174 since the previous year.

Between 2019/20 and 2020/21, the rate of homeless households in Hull in temporary accommodation doubled from 0.4 to 0.8 per 1,000 households with 89 homeless households in temporary accommodation in 2020/21. It is possible that this increase was a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was also an increase for Yorkshire and Humber, although not for England which has a much higher rate overall.

People Sleeping Rough

An annual survey is undertaken in autumn to count the number of people sleeping rough in each local authority. The survey takes place on a single date chosen by the local authority between 1 October and 30 November. The snapshot takes place in the autumn, rather than the summer where numbers are likely to be higher due to the warmer temperatures, or winter, where numbers may be lower as there are more temporary night shelters set up to ensure people do not sleep on the streets in very cold weather.

Year	Estimated number sleeping rough in Hull
2010	7
2011	15
2012	10
2013	13
2014	10
2015	23
2016	15
2017	28
2018	26
2019	18
2020	19

In 2020, 17 of the 19 rough sleepers were men and two were women, 17 were from the UK and two were from the European Union, one was aged 18-25 year and the remaining 18 were aged 26+ years. Between 2018 and 2020 in Hull, the estimated the number of rough sleepers on the chosen night was based on an evidence-based estimate meeting including a spotlight count in specific areas.

These local figures are in line with national trends. There are approximately 40 – 60 people in a ‘rough sleeping cycle’ (that is moving to and from supported housing options and sleeping rough). Recently there have been more short-term/first time rough sleepers, more EU Nationals, those with no recourse to public funds and those in and out of work.

The local authority has been involved in relocating many homeless people from hostels into other temporary accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic where they are able to self-isolate from other residents where necessary.

Hidden Homeless

Official figures do not show the ‘hidden homeless’ – people staying temporarily with family or friends, living in squats or other insecure accommodation. The charity Crisis estimate about 62% of single homeless are potentially hidden from ‘official’ numbers.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Homelessness

The local authority has been involved in relocating many homeless people from hostels into other temporary accommodation where they were able to self-isolate from other residents where necessary.

Due to the Coronavirus Act 2020 and the increased notice required to provide to tenants when seeking possession of residential property between March 2020 and September 2021, the number of homeless households in Hull decreased between 2019/20 and 2020/21.

However, it is likely due to changes in employment circumstances, that many households have fallen into arrears with rent and mortgage payments or have fallen even more into arrears than they had been prior to the pandemic. Thus the impact of the pandemic on homelessness is likely to be felt for a considerable time.

The increased cost of energy, food and other products is likely to have a significant negative impact on people’s ability to maintain their accommodation.

Strategic Need and Service Provision

The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 (in place since April 2018) requires local authorities to undertake a more preventative approach to homelessness and also places a duty on other public agencies to make homelessness referrals. It extends the period within which people are defined as ‘threatened with homelessness’ so that help is provided earlier, and gives a duty to local authorities to assess every eligible applicant’s case and agree a personalised housing plan. The Act also extends the duty to provide an advisory service; to ‘help to secure’ accommodation and extends the ‘prevention duty’.

The launch in 2018 of the Government’s Rough Sleeping Strategy released funding streams, eg. Rough Sleeping Initiative, Rapid Rehousing Pathway, Care Leavers at Risk of Rough Sleeping and a consultation on the use of ‘Homelessness Reduction Boards’.

Hull’s Homelessness Prevention Strategy 2017 and action plan has two key priorities: (i) improving access to housing and preventing homelessness, and (ii) relieving homelessness and preventing rough sleeping. The strategy is due to be updated in Autumn 2022.

Hull City Council runs quarterly Preventing Homelessness Focus Group meetings which provide opportunities for multi-agency discussions on how partners can work together with the Council to prevent homelessness and develop appropriate services and support for people who are homeless. 

The key to preventing rough sleeping is making best use of Housing Related Support and expanding/enhancing the outreach offer to include support with mental health and substance misuse. The Improving Outcomes Group brings together enforcement activity to tackle antisocial behaviour, begging and crime often associated with rough sleeping.

To respond specifically to the health needs of homeless people, Hull has a homelessness health service (provided by Modality) which focuses on people who are homeless and rough sleepers. It provides a combined a primary care inclusion service and hospital discharge service the latter of which seeks to resolve housing issues on admission to hospital/earlier in the person’s hospital treatment instead of at discharge, so that ongoing healthcare needs can be better met by ensuring appropriate onward housing is in place.

Resources

Live tables on homelessness. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness

The Impact on Health of Homelessness – A Guide for Local Authorities (LGA 2017)

Deaths of homeless people in England and Wales: ONS 2018

PHE Health Matters: Rough Sleeping (Updated Feb 2020)

Updates

This page was last updated on 9 May 2022.

This page is due to be updated / checked in September 2022.