Bristol’s Homelessness Problem
Apart from London, Bristol has the highest number of people sleeping rough in the UK.
According to research carried out by Crisis and the University of Sheffield, homeless people die around 30 years younger than the national average. Homeless people have a life expectancy of just 47 years, and for homeless women this is even lower at 43 years.
According to Homeless Link, the most common reason people give for losing their accommodation is because friends or relatives are no longer able to provide support, or because they have experienced a relationship breakdown. However, Homeless Link also believe there are number of other factors at play:
Golden Key clients experience a challenging mix of homelessness, long-term mental health problems, dependency on drugs / alcohol and offending behaviour. They also find that being homeless prevents them from being able to access the services they need to tackle the challenges they face. At Golden Key, we are working with clients and services to find better ways of providing support so that people with complex needs have better outcomes.