More than 4000 people will attend one of the UK's Crisis shelters this Christmas.
As Crisis opens its Christmas centres to an expected 4,000 homeless guests, new research by the charity reveals how one in four homeless people in the UK will spend the festive period alone.
Drawing on a survey of more than 500 people in homeless day centres across the country, the report reveals the extent of loneliness and isolation amongst homeless people, the stigma they experience and the heavy toll it takes on their mental and physical health.
It shows how six out of ten homeless people suffer from loneliness, making them some of the most isolated people in our society.
One in three has no contact with family, while less than one in four can call on a friend in an emergency.
Homelessness is a desperate, isolating experience that destroys people’s confidence and self-esteem
The report also looks at the impact of loneliness on people’s lives. It shows how homeless people often or sometimes feel ashamed or invisible to others (reported by 70%), leading nearly half to feel like they don’t deserve to be helped.
Crucially, these experiences make it even harder for people to rebuild their lives: more than half said they found it harder to seek help, while seven out of ten found it harder to secure or maintain a job. In the worst cases, people had even considered or attempted suicide.
As Crisis opens a Christmas centre in Edinburgh, the charity is calling for action to make sure nobody has to face homelessness in the first place.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive, said: “Christmas should be a time for family and friends, for warmth and celebration, yet for homeless people it can be one of the hardest periods of the year - a cold, lonely experience to be endured rather than enjoyed. That’s what makes our work at Christmas so important.
“Yet loneliness isn’t just a problem at Christmas. Homelessness is a desperate, isolating experience that destroys people’s confidence and self-esteem and makes it even harder for them to get help. We already know that homeless people are over nine times more likely to commit suicide, and there can be little doubt that loneliness plays a major part in that tragedy.
“That’s why we also run year-round services to help homeless people rebuild their confidence and self-esteem. Yet it would be far better if nobody ever had to be homeless in the first place. Sadly, homeless people who go to their councils for help are often turned away with little or nothing at all. That’s why we urgently need a change in the law so that everyone can get the help they need.”
