People do not always know the story behind homelessness
- kellyjaynemurray
- May 28
- 3 min read
“People see someone sleeping rough and think negatively, but they don’t know their story.”
Peter, who was supported by Julian House, shared this while reflecting on his experience of homelessness and recovery.
It is a simple sentence, but it reflects something many people experiencing homelessness experience every day.
Public conversations around homelessness are often shaped by surface impressions. Rough sleeping is the image people most associate with homelessness, but it is only one part of a much more complex picture. It’s impossible to know someone’s life and situation just by looking at them.
Research from King’s College London and the Centre for Homelessness Impact found that conversations about homelessness often reduce people to stereotypes around appearance, behaviour or personal failure. This research also highlights how homelessness is frequently spoken about as though it is one single experience, rather than something shaped by diverse lives and circumstances.
Before losing his home, Peter had worked for many years as a self-employed subcontractor, had been married for 16 years, and owned his own place.
After the death of his son, things understandably became much more difficult. His drinking became harder to manage and over time his relationships, finances and housing broke down.
Eventually, Peter lost his home and spent time sleeping rough.
Looking back, he shares openly about how quickly people can make assumptions about people experiencing homelessness - without understanding the person behind each situation.
Homelessness can make people feel invisible
Tony shares how people would often avoid him while he was sleeping rough.
“Normal people wouldn’t speak to you,” he said. “People would cross over the street.”
At one point, after receiving a back payment to his benefits, Tony bought clean clothes from a charity shop and went to shower at the local swimming baths.
When he came back out, somebody stopped to ask him the time.
“And I pretty much burst into tears,” he said, “because it was the first time in three months that somebody had acknowledged that I existed.”
Moments like this can seem small from the outside, but they say a lot about how stigma and exclusion can shape everyday experiences of homelessness.
No two experiences of homelessness are the same. Yet people are often spoken about or treated as though homelessness tells you everything you need to know about a person.
This stigmatisation can affect how people experiencing homelessness feel in public spaces, how they expect to be treated - and whether they feel comfortable asking for help.
Research has shown that stigma surrounding homelessness can affect confidence, trust and help-seeking. Feelings of embarrassment or fear of judgement may cause people to withdraw or avoid situations where they expect to be treated differently.
Looking beyond assumptions
The language people use also matters.
Research on homelessness and stigma found that everyday comments and conversations can reinforce harmful assumptions, even unintentionally. Jokes, stereotypes and casual remarks about homelessness can reduce people to narrow ideas about appearance, behaviour, and worth, rather than recognising them as individuals with their own lives and experiences.
These attitudes do not come from nowhere. For generations, homelessness has been linked with shame, blame and criminality. The Vagrancy Act, introduced in 1824, treated rough sleeping as a criminal offence for more than 200 years. Although the Government has confirmed the Act will be repealed, some of the attitudes surrounding homelessness still remain.
Tony believes homelessness is often closer to people’s lives than they realise.
“You are probably three major life-changing crises away from being homeless yourself,” he said.
For Peter and Tony, homelessness was not a single moment or identity. It was a period in their lives shaped by many different experiences and circumstances.
At Julian House, support is not only about housing. It is also about listening without judgement, building trust and recognising the person behind the situation.
Before making assumptions about homelessness, it is worth remembering that we rarely know the full story of someone’s life.
