Week 4- Homelessness & Health Flashcards
What counts as homeless?
Staying with friends or family
Staying in a hostel, night shelter or B&B
Squatting
At risk of violence or abuse in your home
Living in poor conditions that affect your health
Living apart from your family because you don’t have a place to live together
What is statutory homelessness ?
statutory homeslessness covers all households that are eligible to be owed homelessness dutyby the local authority.
A ‘main homelessness duty’ is owed by a council where the authority is satisfied that the applicant is eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and falls within a specified priority need group
In statutory homeless give some groups of people that count as priority need
- households with dependent children or a pregnant woman
- who are vulnerable in some way e.g. because of mental illness or physical disability.
- aged 16 or 17
- aged 18 to 20 who were previously in care
- who are vulnerable as a result of time spent in care, in custody, or in HM Forces
- who are vulnerable as a result of having to flee their home because of violence or the threat of violence
Give some reasons for intentional homelessness
- You have been violent to someone else in the household
- You left your home before you had to
- You didn’t pay the rent or mortgage and you could afford to
- You knew the payments were unaffordable when you moved in
- You leave/are sacked from a job that came with accommodation
- You are evicted for antisocial behaviour
- You refuse an offer of housing
Define rough sleepers
People sleeping, about to bed down (sitting on/in or standing next to their bedding) or actually bedded down in the open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments)
People in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or ‘bashes’).
This does not include people in hostels or shelters, people in campsites or other sites used for recreational purposes or organised protest, squatters or travellers.
What are sofa surfers?
Staying for short periods with different friends or family because you have nowhere settled to stay
What are the hidden homeless?
people who become homeless but find a temporary solution by staying with family members or friends (sofa surfing), living in squats or other insecure accommodation, cars and night shelters.
Give some causes of homelessness (2 catagories)
Structural:
- Poverty
- Inequality
- Housing supply & affordability
- Unemployment & insecure employment
- Access to social security
Individual:
- Poor physical health
- MH
- Childhood trauma
- Experience of violence/abuse
- Substance abuse
- Bereavement
- Relationship breakdown
- Time in care/ prison
- Refugees
- Poor physical health
Give some examples of modern slavery
Child trafficking
Forced labour
Sexual exploitation
Criminal exploitation
Forced labour/ debt bondage
Domestic servitude
Give some signs of modern slavery
Physical - inappropriate clothing, appearing malnourished or dishevelled
Sexual
Psychological - appearing fearful of staff, or specific individual, in presence of controller/ person who translates for them
Pregnancy
Stimulation & environmental indicators
General signs - no identification documents, refusal to give name or contact information
Give some examples of conditions/ disease people who are homeless are more likely to have
Greater:
- Long term health problems- physical & MH
- IVDU
Health needs:
- Asthma
- TB
- ADHD
- Hep C
Regular smoking
Do not eat x2 meals per day
Lower life expectancy
What are your rights to registering at a GP practice in England?
Everyone has the right to register with a GP practice in England.
- You do not need a fixed address
- You do not need identification
- Your immigration status does not matter
Why may people who are homeless not access GP services?
- Prejudice from HCP
- Fear and embarrassment
- No phone –cannot book an appointment
- Inflexible appointment times
- No consistent GP
- Short appointments
- Chaotic lives
- Lack of self-worth
- Lack of trust in authority (sometimes specifically medical professionals)
- “Blacklisted” from local GPs
- Other priorities
What is the role of a HCP in helping people who are homeless (3)>
- Identify the risk of homelessness among people who have poor health, and prevent this
- Minimise the impact of homelessness on health among people who are already homeless
- Enable improved health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness so that their poor health is not a barrier to moving on to a home of their own
What does the homeless reduction act (2017) state?
Legal duty on councils to offer more support to wide ranger people of people- homeless/ threatened homelessness w/in 56 days
- Must ask customer
- Referral must include: reason/ how to contact individual
Duty to refer: Some public authorities in England have a duty to notify Local Housing Authorities of service users they think may be homeless or at risk of homelessness
