The Government will fail in its mission to end rough sleeping if it does not address the chronic trauma suffered by people facing homelessness, a homelessness charity has warned.
The stark warning comes from the CEO of Oasis Community Housing following new research that reveals 94% of people facing homelessness have experienced one or more traumas that have left them unable to access the help they need.
The England-wide 'Trauma and Homelessness' study conducted by Northumbria University showed half of people facing homelessness have experienced five or more traumas, such as sexual or domestic abuse, violence, family death or war.
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Today someone who has received support from the charity shared her experiences as the organisation urges the Government to take swift action.
Former Oasis Community Housing resident Amanda Walton said: "I had 15 foster placements in seven years. Lots of living out of bags. I didn't want to empty my suitcase as I knew I wouldn't be there very long.
"I remember getting my first council flat at 18 years old, which was fantastic at first, having my own independence. But drink and drugs were always a problem. I didn't realise or want to admit that I was an alcoholic. That flat broke down."
The 'Trauma and Homelessness' study found that each trauma a person experienced increased the risk of mental ill-health, lack of self-care, substance misuse, the inability to concentrate or learn, and homelessness amongst others. All these effects of trauma, when unaddressed, also impact people's capacity to remember to attend appointments or properly manage tenancies, creating a vicious cycle of homelessness, it added.
The research carried out on behalf of the Gateshead-based charity also found that single incident of trauma caused by a random event has a profound effect on the well-being of an individual, but multiple events or 'complex trauma' will pervade every aspect of a person' being. It is this complex trauma that the research identifies as a defining factor for people who fall into homelessness.
David Smith, Oasis Community Housing CEO, said: "We hear stories like Amanda's every day; it is futile to try to solve the issue of homelessness without addressing the trauma people have suffered. Frontline staff working in homelessness services must have trauma-informed training to offer appropriate support, as well as helping to protect themselves from vicarious trauma.
"A national trauma-informed training programme delivered by Government, would save lives as well as taxpayer's pounds."
Oasis Community Housing explain that the research provides evidence that specialist and timely trauma-informed support offers a real chance to end cycles of homelessness. However, almost half of people surveyed had not been able to access specialist help for their trauma and some reported only being "taken seriously" after reaching a crisis point.
The charity added that establishing trauma-informed care as best practice would drive real change by ensuring trauma is recognised as part of people's pathway into homelessness, as well as providing significant social and economic benefits. The Fulfilling Lives programme, which was scrutinised as part of this research, estimated that the reduction in use of public services following trauma-informed care interventions was equivalent to a saving of over £700 per year, per person.
And Amanda believes that trauma-informed support has been a literal lifesaver for herself and tenants of Oasis Community Housing, which opened an emergency accommodation site in Gateshead last year. She added: "When I moved into my flat it was the first time I’d unpacked a bag in years. I felt safe. I unpacked everything! It was the start of Amanda's life."
David Smith added: "We saw a concerted effort to put a roof over every rough sleepers' head during the pandemic, but only by recognising and committing to tackle the trauma that is deep-rooted within our homeless population can we even begin to hope to end entrenched homelessness in this country."
A summary of the findings can be found at oasiscommunityhousing.org/trauma-homelessness.
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