In the latest in a series of features on homelessness in Huddersfield, charity volunteer and journalist Oscar Hunt takes a look at the complex reasons why people end up living in the streets.

Oscar volunteers with the charity One Big Family – Helping the Homeless

During outreach nights with One Big Family – Helping the Homeless, one of the most important roles volunteers undertake is trying to establish the reasons that have led people onto the streets here in Huddersfield.

It is only when this information is acquired that volunteers can really start to help those who are most vulnerable in our town.

However, the reasons and factors that lead people to sleeping rough are vast and varied, can often be massively perplexing and almost always differ from case to case.

At times, there are people who don’t want help.

One of the homeless men of Huddersfield sits in his regular place on Ramsden Street

This can be a matter of pride or conversely this can be down to a form of institutionalism, borne from an extended period of time living on the streets.

There are some people who are trying to find accommodation, but there are also people who are somewhat content on the streets.

Sometimes we come across people who have only been on the streets for a matter of days and at other times we provide support for people who have been homeless for years.

But, due to all these various reasons, it is clear that there is no comprehensive or overarching ‘solution’ to the issue of homelessness.

But this doesn’t mean we should just accept homelessness; just because an issue has more than one cause, it shouldn’t be deemed as incurable.

When volunteering it is important to be able to make these distinctions.

The support we offer is never compulsory and the interests of those we try to help are always put first.

Sometimes this can be as simple as just giving someone a cup of tea and having a chat with them for five minutes, whereas at other times, our support can be extended to accompanying rough sleepers to Housing Solutions to try and secure some form of accommodation.

Oscar Hunt

Housing Solutions, situated in the Civic Centre in Huddersfield, is a customer service centre who work to try and find affordable homes for vulnerable people and offer support to help them to live independently in their own homes.

It is also important to note that a large percentage of the people on streets suffer with serious mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.

Often these problems are heightened by their ongoing situation and, sadly, not enough is being done to address this.

Difficulties with mental health is one of the biggest problems to face a majority of rough sleepers.

However, it’s an issue that is often largely forgotten about.

Moreover, if someone is living on the streets, treatment for their condition is much more difficult to acquire, assuming treatment is even sought.

It is often cited that drug abuse is instrumental to both the decline of mental health among a percentage of the homeless population and as an actual cause behind becoming homeless.

Although, of course, there is a lot of truth in this statement, drug abuse should never be seen as a reason to refuse help.

Addiction is a wholly engulfing and unparalleled problem and, more often than not, on the streets drugs are used as a coping mechanism for rough sleepers.

But, still to this day, a large majority of people carelessly lump people into simplified categories.

Too often people baselessly state that ‘all homeless people are drug addicts’.

It’s this kind of regressive mindset that allows the problem of homelessness to continue to grow and manifest in our society.

This doorway on Albert Yard in Huddersfield town centre is often occupied by rough sleepers

Brandishing people as drug addicts fails to address the bigger issues of why these people have found themselves in this position and how is the best way to offer them support in moving forward.

This non-judgmental attitude is one volunteers at One Big Family try to instil when working on the streets.

Another reason attributed to the growing figures of rough sleepers is the current economic situation facing not just Huddersfield, but our country as a whole.

Finding, acquiring and maintaining affordable housing is becoming increasingly difficult, especially for those without a secure income.

According to the charity organisation Crisis: “The number of social rented homes in England fell by 120,000 between 2012 and 2016 and another 120,000 social rented homes are likely to be lost from the social housing stock between 2016 and 2020.”

Social rented housing is accommodation let by local authorities at low rates on a secure basis to support those who are most in need.

Other social and economic issues such as unemployment, welfare caps or changes and income policies are not only instrumental in the rise of homelessness, but also act as an obstacle for those who want to get off the streets and rebuild their lives.

Housing Solutions, situated in the Civic Centre in Huddersfield

For example, in the UK, it is estimated that only 20% of private landlords will let their properties to homeless people.

It’s hard to even comprehend all the manner of problems that rough sleepers and other vulnerable individuals face and often, may still have to face.

But it’s times like these where a united community spirit is needed the most.

Donations are always kindly welcomed by One Big Family and at the Welcome Centre on Lord Street.

Or on a more personal level, just taking the time to stop and talk to those who appear to be in a vulnerable position, is a small act that really does go a long way.

In the next feature Oscar will talk about the importance of volunteering and how to help out where you can.