For the first time, new research from LankellyChase Foundation,
Hard Edges, shines and light on the number of adults facing a combination of homelessness, substance misuse, mental ill health and offending behaviour.Working with the client group at Justlife, it is easy to identify that people rarely only face one issue, but we have never had the stats to prove it. For the first time ever, Hard Edges provides robust statistical data mapping severe and multiple disadvantage.The research says:
“There is a huge overlap between the recorded offender, drug misusing and homeless populations. Two thirds of single homeless people and offenders are also found in one of the other systems. One third of homeless people show up in all three systems. Each year, 586,000 people in England have contact with at least one of the homelessness, substance misuse and criminal justice systems. 222,000 have contact with at least two. And 58,000 people have contact with all three.”Multiple disadvantage is also clearly reflected in our own research, Just Thinking, amongst single homeless adults living in unsupported temporary accommodation. 100% of participants faced homelessness issues, 82% participants reported mental health issues and 70% felt isolated. 75% have alcohol or substance misuse issues, many dealing with both. 86% feel unsafe or out of control where they live.To read more about what we are finding out in the
Just Thinking research please click here.Beneath these headline figures are the real lives of people facing unimaginable combinations of personal challenge, and at Justlife we encounter these people everyday. We are constantly learning from the Just Thinking research, experience on the frontline and the actions in the wider sector; and we are hopefully making the lives of these individuals more positive, as well as improving our practice and voice within the wider sector.
