A study has revealed shocking facts around the cycle of poverty affecting people who have recently sought help from organisations which work to tackle homelessness and deprivation.
The study was carried out by Northumbria University, commissioned by leading North East based charity, The Cyrenians and funded by the Webb Memorial Trust.
In-depth interviews were carried out with people who had sought the support of Direct Access Emergency Accommodation at a number of organisations in the North East during 2010. Researchers found:
- over 80% of respondents had had their own home at some point
- 80% had grown up in a household where there was at least one person working
- 45% of respondents had no qualifications
- 34% began drinking before 13
- most had used drugs and committed crime to feed their habit; many had used before 18
- 25% had been in Local Authority Care as children
Of those interviewed, almost 50% have dependent children of which 21% said their dependent children were also in Local Authority Care.
Over half of respondents were brought up in households with low incomes, demonstrating clearly the cycle, linking poverty and homelessness.
Speaking about the research, Stephen Bell Chief Executive of The Cyrenians commented:
“This research will help inform the battle to combat homelessness. Two clear pathways into homelessness are shown. One is the consequence of lifelong disadvantage and deprivation beginning in childhood. The second is the result of traumatic life events such as bereavement or relationship breakdown, often accompanied by alcohol addiction.
“Two factors emerged as having a particularly damaging effect in childhood; experiences of parental addictions and domestic violence.
These are shocking, if not surprising, findings which highlight a need for long-term investment. Real structural change is needed in training and employment, creating safe places to live and adequate social welfare provision. Reducing the abuse of drugs and alcohol by children, and their parents, would pay dividends in future generations.”
Mike Parker, Secretary to the Webb Memorial Trust which funded the research and Non-Executive Director of The Cyrenians, added:
“Whilst we are alarmed by the Report’s findings we are very proud to have been able to fund this important report. It provides hard facts and figures demonstrating the links between personal circumstances of children and their subsequent lifestyles as adults. It seems the cycle of poverty continues with seemingly half our current homeless having been born in poverty and many of their offspring too.
“The sad truth remains that if you are born into poverty in this country you are likely to continue in poverty into adult life. And associated problems such as joblessness, homelessness and substance abuse are a probability rather than a possibility.”
Jamie Harding, Senior Lecturer in Research Methods at Northumbria University who led the research, said:
“Some participants acknowledged their own role in bringing about their exclusion and accepted responsibility for factors such as homelessness, addictions and under-achieving. Most were also able to pinpoint a service that could have helped and in most cases, this was when they were using drugs.
This research suggests that tackling substance misuse should play a greater part in work with excluded children and their families. Where people became addicted at an early age or there were problems of addiction within the family, the consequences were particularly far reaching. This must be a greater priority in policy terms: in particular, the high level of childhood addictions among those who had experienced Local Authority care suggests that services should target this group.
“It is clear that effectively tackling addictions – among children, their families, at the point of traumatic life events and when people are trying to lift themselves out of homelessness – is a key factor if exclusion is to be prevented and relieved.”
The research was presented at an event on Thursday 15th September at the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers Neville Hall starting at 3.30pm where copies of the full report were available and a panel presented the findings and hosted a discussion session with key partners.
