Essex Needs Assessment for Schools, Children and Families. Homeless young people and families

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1 Essex Needs Assessment for Schools, Children and Families Impact of being homeless Homeless young people and families There are four groups of children and young people who are at particular risk of poor outcomes resulting from homelessness: 16 and 17 year olds who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Care leavers aged 18 to 21. Children of families living in temporary accommodation. Children of families who have been, or are at risk of being, found intentionally homeless by a housing authority. A recent survey by Crisis 1 into single homelessness amongst people aged has found that all forms of homelessness, including youth homelessness, are on the rise. Homelessness can significantly increase child vulnerability and it increases the risk of a child being on the Child Protection Register from 1% to 12%. The main trigger for youth homelessness is the breakdown of family relationships, often compounded by difficulties at school (for 16/17 year olds), overcrowding at home, mental health problems, substance abuse and crime. Two thirds of the 16/17 year olds accepted as homeless in one study 2 had seen their parents separate or divorce. Other common causes are leaving care and being unable to pay rent. Young homeless people often do not get the help they need from local authorities or formal support services. Instead, they get by in hidden homelessness situations such as rough sleeping and squatting. They are more likely to sleep in dangerous places, travel longer distances and have mental health, drug and alcohol problems. Young homeless people are considerably more vulnerable than the overall homeless population. Up to half of single homeless youth have been in care, 40% have experienced abuse at home and 33% self harm. A survey of 16/17 year olds accepted as homeless by a local authority 3 found that these young people were much more likely to have lived through a wide range of negative experiences in their childhood. 54% had been excluded from school, 44% had parents who suffered from mental health problems and 17% had experienced sexual abuse. Young people who do seek independent housing often find the cost unsustainable, live in poor conditions and experience frequent mobility and homelessness. One study found that 17% of 1 Research briefing: Young, hidden and homeless (April 2012). Crisis. 2 Department for Communities and Local Government (2008). Statutory Homelessness in England: The Experiences of Families and year olds. 3 Department for Communities and Local Government (2008). Statutory Homelessness in England: The Experiences of Families and year olds.

2 young people living independently had experienced a period of homelessness, 72% of whom had had to sleep rough as a consequence. There are a number of young people (particularly care leavers) that obtain tenancies but are not able to cope and become evicted. They then become intentionally homeless and a homelessness career spirals. A fifth of year olds experience homelessness at some time in their lives. The odds of experiencing repeated homelessness are higher among frequent movers, young people who have been in care or have lived with a step-parent at age 14, those experiencing disruption or trauma in childhood (including domestic abuse), are Black Caribbean, were runaways under age 16 or who are from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Up to half of single homeless youth have been looked after. Children who have been excluded from school are 90 times more likely to end up living on the streets than those who stay on and pass exams. More than a quarter of all those living rough have been excluded from school and 62% have no educational qualifications. Homeless young people are more likely to sleep in dangerous places, travel longer distances and have mental health, drug and alcohol problems. Young people who do seek independent housing often find the cost unsustainable, live in poor conditions and experience frequent mobility and homelessness. Homeless young people s goals are the same as those of most people: they value stability and settledness, home, friends and work. However, their psychological mindset, due to what has happened to them (the past) and where they are (the present), is the main barrier to participation in moving on (the future). It is very difficult for them to sustain being in education, training or work and to achieve moving on whilst living with and being marked as homeless. The circumstances in which families find themselves homeless tend to differ from those of single homeless individuals. A study of families who had been re-housed following acceptance as statutorily homeless found that 65% were female lone parents and 64% were workless. Other research points to social and health disadvantages but finds that this group are not, as a whole, very vulnerable or chaotic. A small-scale study of homeless families who had been re-housed found that mothers and their children had a higher incidence of mental health problems than comparison groups and mental health problems amongst children actually increased from 29% to 39% one year later. One survey found that 74% of families with children living in temporary accommodation said that they had a specific health problem and 49% said that they were suffering from depression. Homeless children are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital, and they have particularly high admission rates for accidents. One study found that only 29% of homeless children were attending mainstream school, but before becoming homeless, 73% had attended. Another survey found that 43% of parents living in temporary accommodation reported their children had missed school due to their housing situation and on average children had missed 55 school days due to the disruption of moves into and between temporary

3 accommodation. Whilst outcomes for the majority of families are generally improved when they move into stable accommodation, a minority are extremely vulnerable and require ongoing support. Prevalence of homelessness All local authorities submit figures for the number of homeless acceptances. However, when someone presents to an authority as homeless, each authority has different ways of dealing with them. According to the Homelessness Act if any person approaches a local authority (even if it is to a caretaker) and states that they are homeless, this is deemed as an application and should therefore be investigated and a decision letter sent within six weeks. However, in practice, authorities will either divert them to make a waiting list application, direct them into homeless prevention, or they are not correctly signposted. Therefore, there are no accurate figures regarding presentations of homeless people. Under the Joint Protocol with district councils, young people aged who approach social care should be dealt with by social care rather than referred to district housing departments, unless that young person does not wish ongoing social care involvement. Not all of these young people have an initial assessment as, for example, the Homelessness Response Team (HRT) within children s social care may take young people home directly and mediate with the family to resolve problems. In 2010/11 the HRT carried out 381 initial assessments and 24 core assessments but in May 2011 the process changed with the introduction of joint working with housing departments. Between 500 and 600 joint assessment interviews are carried out with housing departments each year, but there will be others that the team do not see as many assessments are carried out in the quadrants so it is not possible to say how many are undertaken. In addition to the young people above there are just under 300 children in care who are aged 16 or 17 and who will require housing support as they leave care. In October 2012 there were also year olds and years olds known to the Leaving and Aftercare Team, many of whom will have housing needs. A total of 1,117 households were accepted as homeless by Essex district councils (excluding Colchester) in the 12 months ending 30/9/2012, up from 1,023 a year earlier. Of these, 799 households had dependent children or a pregnant female within them.

4 Total number of homeless households accepted for a full housing duty section 193 Period 1/10/11 to 30/09/12 Total number of homeless households accepted Of which households where female pregnant or household with dependant children Basildon Braintree Brentwood Castle Point Chelmsford Colchester (awaiting data) (awaiting data) Epping Harlow Maldon Rochford Tendring Uttlesford Mid NE South West Essex 1, As at the end of September 2012, Essex district councils were supporting 591 families with dependant children or pregnant females in temporary accommodation, including 20 families in bed and breakfast accommodation 4. This has increased from just 500 families a year earlier. 4 Under section 188 or 193 duty.

5 Snapshot figure at 30/09/2012 Number of households in all forms of temporary accommodation Total number of households in all forms of temporary accommodation Of which female pregnant or household with dependent children Number of households in bed and breakfast Of which female pregnant or household with dependent children Basildon Braintree Brentwood Castle Point Chelmsford Colchester (awaiting data) (awaiting data) (awaiting data) (awaiting data) Epping Harlow Maldon Rochford Tendring Uttlesford Mid NE South West Essex Young runaways There are an estimated 2,300 young runaways in Essex. National research shows that just over half of young runaways return to their home or care placement after one night away. However, around one in eight run at least three times, one in six sleep rough and one in 12 are hurt or harmed while they are away. Repeated running is especially destructive and likely to lead to greater risks of abuse and exploitation, involvement in criminal activity, prostitution or substance misuse. Running away at a young age is also a strong predictor of homelessness and social exclusion as adults. The majority of young people report the onset of problems commencing before adolescence, usually around nine years of age.

6 Some young people are pushed away from their home by factors that make an environment difficult to live in, such as problems at home, including difficult relationships, family breakdown and maltreatment or abuse; problems at schools including bullying; and personal problems including mental health issues. Other young people are pulled away to be near friends and family, or following grooming by adults seeking to exploit them. Report produced by Research & Analysis Unit Essex County Council, January 2013 Research & Analysis