Bringing homelessness home-the facts
By Tara McLaughlin
What's the first thing that springs to mind when you think about a homeless person? Sleeping rough will be the first for most of you. Do you envision a cardboard box for shelter and a sleeping bag on the street? While this is a huge problem, in reality it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
As part of Homeless Awareness Week from Wednesday 30th November-Thursday 8th December, Downtown & Cool FM are challenging themselves by signing up for a sleep out with a local charity, complete with cardboard box and sleeping bag. Why? We want to step out of our comfort zone and bring home an issue that many of us ignore on a daily basis, simply because we don't know enough about it.
We've done our homework and want to dispel the myths and bring you the facts about homelessness:
1) There are over 18,000 homeless people living in Northern Ireland.
It’s estimated the approximate figure is 18,628.
2) Sleeping rough has risen.
In the UK, government street counts showed around 3,569 people sleep rough on any one night, a rise of 30% on the previous year and double the amount since 2010.
3) Hidden Homelessness is a UK wide problem.
Many people here don’t qualify for housing executive assistance and may be residing in a hostel, with friends or family or another form of temporary accommodation. They are classed as the hidden or invisible homeless.
4) Living in overcrowded conditions still counts as homelessness.
There are many different forms of homelessness. While sleeping rough is the most common, there are also many others including: Staying with friends or family, staying in a hostel, staying in a B & B, living in overcrowded conditions, at risk of violence if you stay in your home, living in poor conditions that could damage your health, living in a house that’s unsuitable for you.
5) At present there are only 90 statutory and 900 private emergency houses for homeless people here.
The temporary accommodation pool in Northern Ireland is in crisis. It’s a similar situation across the UK. When you consider the conservative estimate of 18,628 homeless people here, this does not even begin to cover the amount of people in need.
There is support available. The Housing Executive can give solutions to homeless people or those at risk of losing their home. They must consider each individual case which can be timely and can isolate people who aren’t eligible.
In the next few years, the Housing Executive is hoping to tackle homelessness and have come up with a strategy.
In the immediate short term, local charities work tirelessly to provide shelter, food, sleeping bags, medical care and emotional support services for homeless people across Northern Ireland.
You may have seen the SOS Bus around Belfast city centre. Writer’s Square is the chosen spot for our sleep out. We aim to provide soup, shelter and a caring ear for homeless people in Belfast. Each volunteer gets their own survival kit complete with cardboard box and we'll be spending the night in a box with a sleeping bag hoping to bring the issue home and raise awareness across the province.
If you would like to know more about the sleep out please click here
Alternatively, you can make a donation here
You can also follow updates on twitter and see how we get on facing a cold November night with nothing but a cardboard box and sleeping bag