Homelessness and need

Introduction

The majority of people who sleep on the streets, and in hostels and night shelters are men. However, the number of women, particularly younger women, in these circumstances has increased (Anderson et al., 1993). They are often people with complex care and support needs, which go way beyond the provision of accommodation. But, as you will learn in this unit, complex needs are both a cause and a product of homelessness.

In this audio unit, you will hear from four people, who will each be talking about their own experience of homelessness – John, Danny, Ernest and Paul.

These audio clips were recorded in 1999.

Participants in the audio clips:

• Helen Robinson is the presenter;

• Julia Johnson is a member of the Open University (1999);

• John, Danny, Ernest and Paul are all homeless (1999).

This material is from our archive and is an adapted extract from Care, welfare and community (K202) which is no longer taught by The Open University. If you want to study formally with us, you may wish to explore other courses we offer in this subject area [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .