Policy Principles and Objectives

The Coalition believes that there needs to be a comprehensive strategy to tackle older homelessness. The policy principles and objectives outlined below should not be considered in isolation but as linked components in addressing older homelessness.

Local Strategic Planning

There has been considerable progress in the development of strategic planning for tackling homelessness, since the Homelessness Act of 2002 required all local authorities to produce a homelessness strategy. An increasing number of authorities are also producing older people's accommodation strategies. However the Coalition has concerns that older homeless people continue to be marginalized and that they do not appear as a specific group in these strategies.

The Coalition believe that the needs of older vulnerable older homeless people should be integrated into all local housing and homelessness strategies, Supporting People strategies and older peoples strategies to reflect their unique and specific needs.

Housing Advice Services and Advocacy

Although there has been a welcome expansion in housing advice services to prevent homelessness there is still a lack of specialist advice and advocacy for older people and there is a need to outreach to older people who are vulnerable to homelessness.

The Coalition believes that local authorities should support the development of housing advice services that cater for the specific advice needs of older homeless people or those at risk of homelessness. E.G. See Threshold in Services section

Case study - George

George was faced with a court action for repossession of his flat after he accumulated rent arrears of over £1000. The arrears had occurred after George had turned 70. He was previously receiving invalidity benefit, which stopped on his 70th birthday. Due to his disability George was incapable of handling his affairs and his rent arrears increased. George was referred to an older homeless project worker who helped him to identify whether he was receiving all possible benefits. The worker discovered an error in George's pension details which meant that he was in fact due benefit backdated to over a year. This discovery also helped the local housing authority to pay backdated housing benefit owed to him. Without this intervention George may well have been evicted and found himself homeless. Cases like George's involving administrative error or problems with dealing with benefit claims are far from uncommon.

Triggers of Homelessness in Later Life

Older people can become homeless as a result of a personal crisis or emergency such as the death of a partner or parents. Some older people become homeless because they have difficulty paying their rent / mortgages or in claiming benefits. Research shows that 50% of people who became homeless in later life did not seek advice. This demonstrates the need to pick up on people at risk and put interventions in early.

The Coalition believes that targeted action should be taken to prevent older people becoming homeless as the result of a personal crisis or financial difficulties.

Case study - Peter

Peter had been married for 27 years and lived with his wife in a council flat. He suffered from epilepsy and is illiterate. Throughout the marriage his wife managed all the paperwork and finances. Peter has not worked since he was made redundant at the age of 48 years. When his wife dies peter became depressed and drank heavily. He could not cope with household tasks or bills. He did not renew his Housing Benefit claim and arrears built up. A housing benefit officer visited a number of times and Peter believed that his claim had been sorted but this was not the case. Two years after his wife died he was evicted with thousands of pounds of arrears.Peter was depressed and could not take things in. He received no support for his depression or heavy drinking after being widowed. Although he is epileptic he was not registered with a GP as his GP had dies and he had not re-registered. He cannot recall receiving an eviction notice or court repossession. (Building Homelessness prevention practice: Combining Research Evidence and Professional Knowledge. Crane M, Fu R, Warnes A, SISA 2004)

Sleeping Rough

Older homeless people sleeping rough often feel distrustful or alienated from mainstream services or feel that these services do not adequately reflect or meet their needs.

The Coalition believes in developing focused and flexible street outreach services that address the specific needs and concerns of older people sleeping rough. No older people should have to sleep rough, proactive measures should be taken by all levels of government to ensure this is the case.

Case study - Rose

Rose has slept outdoors for at least 20 years. She is a very frail slight woman, she suffers from infestations of all kinds, bad feet, bad eyes and chest infections. She can be cantankerous and her moods fluctuate greatly. The only service she will engage with is a soup kitchen where she goes each evening to get food. People like Rose who may have become alienated from mainstream services need a longer term approach to allow specialist outreach workers to develop trust and help them to access the right services. There is a need for more street outreach workers who have the skills and experience to work with older people trapped on the streets.

Homelessness Legislation

In principle older homeless people should be accepted as vulnerable under current homelessness legislation. Older people have difficulty in accessing or making contact with housing services and are often unable to exercise this right. The legislation does not state a legal age at which people should be accepted as vulnerable. In practice most authorities accept people at 60 but some set it at 65 years of age. However in some authorities applicants are being asked to show evidence of other vulnerabilities in addition to age. The House of Commons Select committee recommended that the age at which vulnerability is accepted should be set at a younger age, accepting the arguments that people aged prematurely in a homeless situation. This was rejected by the ODPM.

The Coalition believes that the Code of Guidance to the Homeless legislation should recommend that homeless applicants over the age of fifty should have age considered as part of their vulnerability and that issues around premature ageing should be taken into account.

Health Care Services

Older homeless people are often unwilling to use primary health care services because they feel that they will be dealt with unsympathetically or believe that they do not deserve to use these services as a result of feelings of low self-esteem or self worth. However they have a high rate of admission to hospital. A research study found that 42% of homeless people over the age of 50 years had at least one hospital admission in the previous year compared to 14% of the general population aged 65 to 79 years old. (Discharge of Older Homeless People From Hospital. Blood I. Help the Aged 2003)

The Coalition believes that primary health care services must ensure that their services are accessible to older homeless people through proactive methods of service delivery. Hospital services must liaise better with the homeless sector to ensure co-ordination of care and discharge planning.

Community Care Services

Older homeless people under 65 often have problems in securing community care services despite often having clearly established care and support needs. It is even more difficult for people with a combination of drug and alcohol or mental health problems to access services due to the way in which support services are organised and funded.

The Coalition believes that older homeless people must have guaranteed access to community care services, including those who have multiple needs.

Case study - Tom

Tom, a 51 year old Irish man found himself homeless after the break up of his marriage. Tom is a heavy drinker and this prevents him from living independently. Tom found himself living in a hostel for homeless people. Tom attempted detoxification many times but was never able to complete one. He said that he wanted to get his drinking under control and after discussion with his key worker at the hostel asked to be referred to a supported housing project for people with alcohol problems. Tom was assessed by the project and was offered a place five months after his referral. Staff feel that since Tom first moved in there has been a marked improvement in his physical appearance and general self care, reflected in the increased tidiness of his room. Tom says he is happy where he is and enjoys having his own room. He has made friends and is happy that his drinking is more controlled. Unfortunately there is a severe lack of specialist move-on accommodation and support services for people like Tom who have complex needs. It is often difficult for older homeless people in Tom's age group to gain access to appropriate community care services.

Resettlement Services

Good resettlement services are recognised as vital to helping homeless people secure and maintain appropriate accommodation in the community. Older people need active help and encouragement to find forms of accommodation that meet their needs and obtain care packages tailored to their individual requirements.

The Coalition believes in the need for proactive resettlement services that recognise the specific needs of older homeless people.

Case study - Betty

Betty is a 71 year old woman who spent many years sleeping rough before being resettled into her own flat. Betty was involved in the resettlement process - in visiting different housing options, choosing where she wanted to live, and in planning the move. Before moving in, with support from the resettlement agency, furniture was bought and a telephone line installed. The agency supported Betty in registering with a GP and arranged support from social services. The resettlement agency ensured Betty was receiving her pension and that housing benefit was in place. Before the move, regular post-resettlement was arranged for Betty so that she would be able to cope in her new home. Since moving in, Betty has been visited each week by a support worker from the resettlement agency for support with any problems she experiences living alone, ongoing advocacy with statutory agencies, transport assistance to hospital appointments and help with reading letters. Betty was referred by the resettlement agency to a volunteer scheme for befriending support to reduce the isolation she experiences living alone. Comprehensive resettlement plans and ongoing support are critical to people like Betty to prevent their homelessness occurring.

Long-term Care Plans

Long term care plans are vital to ensure that older people are able to sustain their accommodation over the long term. In some cases older homeless people will need care and support until they die. Most Supporting People is on a two year model with support tapering off as someone becomes more independent. Older homeless people are more likely to need long term support.

The Coalition believes in providing individually tailored long term care and support that allows older homeless people to sustain their accommodation as independently as possible.

Case study - Lenny

Following resettlement, many older people need long-term, often life-long, support to enable them to live independently and to prevent them from becoming homeless again. Lenny is a 65 year old man who became homeless at the age of 60 after separating from his wife. Lenny slept rough for eight months before being resettled into his own flat where he has now been living for four years. He is visited each week by a support worker who provides practical support and ongoing advocacy with statutory services to ensure Lenny receives the services and benefits he needs and is entitled to. With the steady influx of new clients, the provider agency is under pressure to close cases, but believe that if they were to reduce or withdraw this support many older people would become homeless again.

Lenny has multiple and chronic health problems. Since moving into his flat, Lenny's health has deteriorated significantly. Lenny feels he needs increased and continuing support so he can retain his independence and remain in his own flat: "I need to see the support worker more often because of my health, and for help with resolving problems as they arise such as letters, benefits, health, housing and any other problem... I need her to make the agencies [social services] stay in closer contact and for transport to hospital appointments. I need my support worker to assist me always and to keep in touch. I hope this will continue." For older people like Lenny short term initiatives are not enough. Long term care arrangements need to be in place to ensure older homeless people are able to maintain their accommodation.

Lack of Move-on Accommodation

Many older homeless people are spending long periods of time in temporary accommodation because of a lack of appropriate move-on accommodation or because they are frightened of moving on and without any demand from the resident the hostel they are in has neglected to assess their move–on needs and has allowed the status quo to continue.

The Coalition believes in the provision of a greater range and diversity of move-on accommodation that meets the needs of older homeless people over the medium and long term.

Case study - Tony

Tony is a 55 year old man who first became homeless when he was in his twenties and has spent much of his life on the streets. He is currently staying at a direct access hostel. Tony has been resettled before but became homeless again due to his use of alcohol and deterioration in mental health. Tony has multiple and chronic health problems, associated with many years of sleeping rough and heavy drinking. He has severe mobility problems following a serious accident in the past. Tony suffers from severe depression, which is related to his use of alcohol, and has in the past attempted to commit suicide. Tony's mental health deteriorates when he drinks and his current mental health is poor. Tony wants support with his mental health and says he wants to stop drinking. He has attempted to do so on a number of occasions but following his return to the hostel, starts drinking again. Tony says he needs to be "in a quieter, non-drinking environment" to enable him to stop drinking.

Tony wants to move out of the hostel and says he "would like a flat of my own, if I can manage... with home care". Tony feels he will need support from social services to enable him to live in a flat and was referred for a community care assessment. Tony has received two assessments, the outcome of each being that Tony is not entitled to community care support. Tony remains at the hostel. There is a general lack of appropriate move-on accommodation for older homeless people and the situation is even worse for older people like Tony who have complex problems.

Private Rented Sector

Older people in the private rented sector are particularly vulnerable to the effects of unaffordable rents or harassment and abuse by private landlords.

The Coalition believe that greater protection should be afforded to older people at risk of homelessness in the private rented sector, including those living in tied accommodation.

Case study - Jean

Jean is a 72 year woman who was living in a private rented flat in an inner city area. She had lived happily in the flat for over 20 years but with a change of landlord conditions in her flat started to deteriorate. She found it increasingly difficult to get her landlord to carry out even the most basic repairs to the flat which quickly developed problems with dampness and inadequate heating. It became clear that Jean's new landlord wanted vacant possession to sell of the property. Housing advocacy workers made contact with Jean and became increasingly concerned that her health was suffering and that she was becoming more frail and vulnerable as a result of living in worsening conditions. The Home Improvement Agency worker and social services worked out a joint strategy to find Jean more appropriate supported accommodation. This eventually enabled Jean to leave the flat and obtain the support she needed. People like Jean living in the private rented sector may face landlords who deliberately allow their property to fall into disrepair. Older people need support to either legally challenge their landlord or to find alternative and more suitable accommodation.

Poor Housing Conditions

Older people are more vulnerable to the effects of poor housing conditions especially where the accommodation is damp or poorly heated.

The Coalition believes that the urgent needs of older people must be recognised in tackling disrepair and that they should be actively consulted in the development of regeneration initiatives.

Case study - Alex

Alex, a 66 year old man, had spent many years on the streets until being resettled into a council flat where he has been living for over a year. Alex had heart disease and severe arthritis which significantly restricted his mobility. The only furniture in his flat was an old bed (which was unusable and needed to be replaced), a fridge and two cookers (neither of which worked). His television and video along with the few personal possessions Alex had kept, had been stolen after his flat had been broken into. Alex was distressed because he needed to get rid of the broken bed but said he couldn't do this by himself because of his arthritis, and didn't know where to go to get furniture for his flat. Alex was not receiving his full benefit entitlements and couldn't read the letters he was sent by the benefits agency or social services and so missed the appointments made to visit him at home. An advice worker at a local day centre supported Alex in communicating with the benefits agency and Alex received his backdated benefit entitlements so he could then afford to buy some new furniture. With support from the advice worker, arrangements were made for Alex to get furniture for his flat.

Older people, like Alex, living in poor conditions may only have their situation recognised when their situation becomes extreme. There needs to be much earlier help and support for older homeless people to prevent them finding themselves in poor and unhealthy accommodation.