Society cannot end homelessness unless it first addresses the trauma that many rough sleepers people have suffered throughout their lives, according to a new report.
Oasis Community Housing, a Christian homelessness charity in England, commissioned a report which reveals 94% of people facing homelessness have experienced one or more traumas that have left them unable to access the support they need. 
Academics Dr Adele Irving and Dr Jamie Harding from Northumbria University surveyed over 100 people from Oasis Community Housing residents and discovered half have experienced at least five or more traumas, such as sexual or domestic abuse, violence, family death or war.
The researchers found each trauma increased the risk of mental health, lack of self-care, substance misuse and the inability to concentrate or learn. Effects of these traumas, when unaddressed, also impact people’s capacity to access or properly manage tenancies.
Researchers concluded one incident of trauma can have a profound effect on the wellbeing of an individual, but multiple events or ‘complex trauma’ are highly likely to pervade every aspect of a person’s being.
Speaking about the research, Dr Harding said: ‘The impact of trauma has been an increasingly important theme in homelessness research in recent years and there is a growing realisation that, for the majority of people for whom homeless is a longer-term issue, trauma is always there in the background of their lives, whether that is from childhood, adolescence, as an adult, or throughout their whole lives.’
Specialist mental health and timely trauma-informed support was also discovered to offer 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 report concludes that establishing trauma-informed care as best practice across the homelessness and related sectors would likely drive real change in the lives for those experiencing homelessness, as well as providing significant broader social and economic benefits.
As Dr Irving explained: ‘One important finding which came out of the research is the value of a trauma-informed approach to service delivery which is mindful of the traumatic experiences someone has gone through.
‘There are already housing, mental health, and substance misuse services available. However, we need to ask why some individuals are unable to access or engage with those services and why some are returning to those services again and again.
‘But a trauma informed approach may be key to making it easier for those who need support to access those services.’
David Smith, CEO of Oasis Community Housing, said: ‘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 taxpayers’ pounds.
‘We saw a concerted effort to put a roof over every rough sleeper’s 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.’
The data that was examined for this study was collected through the nationwide ‘Fulfilling lives: Supporting people experiencing multiple disadvantage’ programme.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao