HOMELESSNESS IN UNITED KINGDOM

1. IS THERE A LEGAL DEFINITION OF “HOMELESS PEOPLE” IN YOUR JURISDICTION IF YES, WHERE IS IT REGULATED?  HOW IS IT EVIDENCED? 

The UK statutory definition of a homeless person: 

“(1) A person is homeless if he has no accommodation available for his occupation, in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, which he- 

    (a) is entitled to occupy by virtue of an interest in it or by virtue of an order of a court, 

    (b) has an express or implied licence to occupy, or 

    (c) occupies as a residence by virtue of any enactment or rule of law giving him the right to remain in occupation or      restricting the right of another person to recover possession. 

(2) A person is also homeless if he has accommodation but- 

    (a) he cannot secure entry to it, or 

    (b) it consists of a moveable structure, vehicle or vessel designed or adapted for human habitation and there is no        place where he is entitled or permitted both to place it and to reside in it. 

(3) A person shall not be treated as having accommodation unless it is accommodation which it would be reasonable for him to continue to occupy.” 

However, some feel this definition does not go far enough. In July 2004, the Charity “Crisis” published Hidden Homelessness: Britain’s Invisible City. They define the “hidden homeless” as living in “hostels, squats (illegal occupation) and bed and breakfast accommodation or staying with friends and family”.

The phrase ‘sofa-surfers’ is used to describe those who live with friends and family, often moving frequently from one to the other. The Revolving Doors Agency, a charity that works with mentally ill people who have been arrested or imprisoned, pointed out another problem with the Government’s use of acceptance figures to assess the number of homeless households. 

“This excludes those who, for whatever reason, have not approached the Homeless Person’s Unit for assistance. Some of these people will end up sleeping rough on the streets, where they may be picked up by the rough sleepers count. But many more join the ranks of the “Hidden Homeless” living in derelict buildings and squats, staying with friends or relatives without any explicit right to do so and frequently in unreasonably crowded conditions.”

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2. DOES A LEGAL STATUS OF “HOMELESS PEOPLE” OR “HOMELESSNESS” INVOLVE A PARTICULAR OBJECT OF LEGAL PROTECTION? WHAT IS THE BASIC PROTECTION THAT IS RECEIVED IN YOUR JURISDICTION?

In 2002, the UK Government amended homelessness legislation to:

    “(a) ensure a more strategic approach to tackling and preventing homelessness, in particular by            requiring a homelessness strategy for every housing authority district; and

     (b) strengthen the assistance available to people who are homeless or threatened with                         homelessness by extending the priority need categories to homeless 16 and 17 year olds;               care leavers aged 18, 19 and 20; people who are vulnerable as a result of time spent in care,           the armed forces, prison or custody, and people who are vulnerable because they have fled           their home because of violence.”

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Further significant reform of homelessness legislation placed duties on local authorities to intervene at earlier stages to prevent homelessness in their areas. It also requires housing authorities to provide homelessness services to all those affected, not just those who have ‘priority need’. These include:

    (a) an enhanced prevention duty extending the period a household is threatened with                          homelessness from 28 days to 56 days, meaning that housing authorities are required to                  work with people to prevent homelessness at an earlier stage; and

    (b) a new duty for those who are already homeless so that housing authorities will support                    households for 56 days to relieve their homelessness by helping them to secure                                accommodation.

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3. ARE THERE SPECIFIC MEASURES THAT PROMOTE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE? HOW IS IT REGULATED AND HOW SHOULD IT BE SHOWED?

I take this to mean affordable housing in the private sector because, state provided housing to the homeless, by definition, must be affordable or it can’t be accessed by the homeless. If someone is genuinely homeless the state has an obligation to provide accommodation. However, for people on low incomes there are various schemes which, although not entirely relevant to the situation of the genuinely homeless, provides some background.

There are various types of affordable housing under the government’s affordable housing scheme.

1. Home Ownership/Discount Market Housing

Properties are offered for sale on selected sites with a discount off the full market value. For example, a £100,000 house with a 25% discount will be offered to qualifying applicants on our scheme for £75,000. This is not shared equity or shared ownership (there is no rent or equity loan to repay) and even though given a discount, the property is owned in the usual way.  However, there is a restriction on the title which means that when sold the property must be sold on to the next person with the same level of discount.

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2.   Intermediate Rent 

Allows a person to rent a property on selected sites at 80% of the full market rent e.g. if the full market rent is £500 per month, applicants on the Affordable Housing Scheme will pay £400 per month.

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3.   Shared Ownership

​Shared ownership is a part-buy, part-rent scheme.  It allows purchase of a share of a property on selected sites and a reduced rent to the landlord on the remaining share.  Eligible applicants can usually purchase between 25% and 75% of the property initially, depending upon their financial circumstances.  This means that buyers will need a smaller mortgage and deposit than they would need if they were buying the property outright.  They will also have the option to buy more shares as and when they can afford to.

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4.   Shared Equity 
Shared equity allows purchase of a property on with the help of a shared equity loan.  The equity loan will be a second charge on the property, representing a percentage of the value. When the loan is paid back, it is as a percentage of the current market value of the home. 

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4. IS HATE CRIME SPECIFICALLY REGULATED AGAINST HOMELESS PEOPLE IN YOUR JURISDICTION? DO YOU KNOW ANY CASE?

Legislation makes hateful behaviour towards a victim based on the victim's membership (or presumed membership) of a racial group or a religious group an aggravating element in 

sentencing for specified crimes. Typically, these fall into the classic groups;

•  A "racial group" is a group of persons defined by reference to race, colour, nationality (including citizenship) or ethnic or national origins. 

• A "religious group" is a group of persons defined by reference to religious belief or lack of religious belief. 

The specified crimes are assault, criminal damage, offences under, and require a court to consider whether a crime which is not specified by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 is racially or religiously aggravated, and to consider whether the following circumstances were pertinent to the crime:

    (a) that, at the time of committing the offence, or immediately before or after doing so, the                  offender demonstrated towards the victim of the offence hostility based on—

        (i) the sexual orientation (or presumed sexual orientation) of the victim, or

        (ii) a disability (or presumed disability) of the victim, or

    (b) that the offence is motivated (wholly or partly)—

        (i) by hostility towards persons who are of a particular sexual orientation, or

        (ii) by hostility towards persons who have a disability or a particular disability. 

In 2013, Greater Manchester Police began recording attacks on goths, punks and other alternative culture groups as hate crimes.

However, as you will have seen from the definitions above, the legislation would not appear to make homelessness a specifically protected characteristic for hate crimes. As yet there are no cases which have been brought on the basis of a hate crime arising out the specific characteristic of Homelessness as a specific group recognised by the legislation above. 

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