Poverty & Homelessness: Do we really listen?

The provision of suitable, affordable housing plays a vital role in supporting individuals and families, making it of central importance to social work practice. 

In this blog, a BASW member shares and reflects on their experiences of supporting people affected by poverty and homelessness. They have asked to remain anonymous.

Do we really listen?

As a second-year social work student my 70-day placement was within a food bank and community café. Having this opportunity to work within the community allowed me to work closely with some of our most vulnerable adults.

Homelessness has been increasing locally with benefit caps on housing, rising rents and welfare sanctions creating a perfect storm. Stepchange debt charity found that those renting in the private sector were facing financial difficulty due to a greater proportion of their income going on housing costs (Stepchange, 2023). This contributing to debt and rent arrears. The housing benefit cap means that a family entitled to a two-bedroom home may receive upto £182.96 per week in housing benefit locally. Yet a two-bedroom home is currently around £1000 per month. Those living on housing benefit then must find the short fall in rent and still try to support their families. Many of those using the food bank had young children and were worried about how they were going to maintain their bills and support their families. We were beginning to see carers, teachers, and nurses, coming through our doors and the shame and stigma that they were worried about was evident. These were people working full time jobs but were unable to put a meal on their table. During my time at the foodbank the numbers were rising week on week, yet the provisions donated were becoming less this made it increasingly difficult to support those in need.

Many of the individuals or families I was working with were struggling due to benefit sanctions. Those that were street homeless or living in temporary accommodation found it the hardest to get support. Many did not know where to go for advice and some of the most vulnerable were unable to make or keep appointments. One individual had been sanctioned for almost a year and their temporary accommodation were unsupportive. They were not allowed to attend the job centre due to a previous incident and had limited income to be able to rectify this. This person was desperate and on the verge of homelessness. They had already been street homeless previously and were fearful this was going to happen again. They had tried numerous services but were often met with very little help. It took a week of perseverance and numerous phone calls to get this rectified and the individual was entitled to back payments. During this time, it allowed us to work together and build relationships. This individual had felt let down by professionals and shared their lack of trust.

Another young individual who was temporary housed through a charity was also facing homelessness. They came to us to ask advice as they wanted to return to work. They were advised that should they seek paid employment they would be deemed to be making themself homeless. When I challenged the charity on this, I was advised this was true. The rents for there rooms were higher than average and often once the individual enters paid employment their housing benefit stops, leaving them unable to afford their rent. This then leaves them in rent arrears with many then made homeless again. As a student social worker, I found this ethically challenging. How are we supporting the vulnerable back into society if they are falling at the 1st hurdle. How are we empowering them to use their own strengths? I often felt deflated advising individuals to seek volunteer work. Not because I do not recognise or value the amazing roles they play in supporting our communities, but because these individuals often became ‘stuck’ on a hamster wheel and it almost seemed impossible to find a way off.

Many of those I was working with spoke about their barriers to seeking help from social workers and the realities that led them to becoming homeless. Often those I worked with that were street homeless had suffered trauma, loss, addiction, and mental health. They also had stories to tell about childhood, or why they struggled with authority. One of the toughest things to hear was that their biggest barrier was they did not feel heard. When asked what the one thing I can learn from them was, the same reply came from them all “listen to us, everyone says they are listening, but they think they know what we need”.

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BASW’s campaign- Social Work Stands Against Poverty- is calling for a freeze on evictions during the cost-of-living crisis to prevent homelessness. Find out more about the campaign and how you can get involved here.

Housing and Homelessness: The BASW Position Statement and Recommendations sets out the current situation, explores how the housing situation in the UK got to this point and sets out the necessary changes to improve the situation together with recommendations for social work practice.