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Couples
This page is about the need to provide more temporary accommodation for couples without children and includes good practice examples. Couples are often unable to live together in hostels and some remain on the streets rather than separate.
What's New?
- On Valentine's day 2007, the Guardian ran an interview with Homeless Link trainer Mike Seal on the issue of homeless couples.
The problem
The problem is that homeless couples without children tend to fall between two stools. They will not necessarily qualify for help under homelessness legislation (unless one of them is vulnerable) and most voluntary sector hostels see themselves as providing accommodation for single homeless people. For heterosexual couples, the situation is often exacerbated by rules banning one sex from hostels or parts of the hostels at certain times, particularly at night.
The issue has been known and written about for some time. In 1996 "Steps from the Street: A Report on Direct Access Hostel Provision" by the Campaign for the Homeless and Rootless (CHAR) and Crisis included couples among "those currently being failed by the system". A 2003 Home Office report on Youth Homelessness and Substance Use reported that among the barriers to accessing homelessness services experienced by young people were "exclusionary rules ... e.g. being unwilling to accept couples or dogs".
However, the 2005 report London's Hostels for Homeless People in the 21st Century (Pan London Providers Group) did not address the issue at all, except for the somewhat misplaced comment that "no-one would now force a husband and wife to live apart, as the Victorian work-houses used to do".
The Dawn Centre photo: Tony Dodson
Solutions
Some voluntary sector organisations, including St Mungo's and Thamesreach Bondway, are taking steps to make hostel provision available to homeless couples without children and to address some of the complications of working with couples. These include issues over benefits and confidentiality.
The Dawn Centre in Leicester is a new project for homeless people. Two of its 42 rooms are for couples and the centre has a positive attitude towards residents forming relationships.
In the South West region, Damascus House in Salisbury houses couples, while other organisations are developing provision. Some organisations have move-on accommodation for couples or provide floating support.
The Homeless UK accommodation search can be used to find hostel provision that accepts and/or targets couples.