What is hidden homelessness?

Rough sleeping is the most visible side of homelessness that we can see, but the majority of homelessness remains hidden out of the public eye.

Hidden homelessness refers to people who may be considered homeless but whose housing situation is not ‘visible’ on the streets or in official statistics.

"It can be harder to have the same type of street contact but that doesn't mean that they are not there. They still need the same kind of support and we still need to liase with them on a weekly or daily basis." Dorset based outreach manager Chris.

Examples of hidden homelessness:

• Temporary accommodation.

• Sofa-surfing.

• Overcrowded households.

• Hidden rough sleepers (sleeping on public transport, staying in rural and hard to reach locations, etc).

• Squatting.

• Unconventional structures (staying in tents, cars, caravans, sheds, etc).

Although they have a roof over their head, the people who living in these situations do not have access to safe, secure and settled housing of their own.

This can mean waking up every day facing uncertainty over where they will be able to stay the next night. And the next.

Why we need to talk about hidden homelessness:

Hidden homelessness is under reported and hard to help.

Our outreach teams are on the streets every day looking for people who are sleeping rough to to connect with people sleeping rough and provide them with essential supplies, warm conversations, and information about support services.

When people are staying out of the public eye it is a challenge for our teams to connect with them and provide the needed care to help them get off the streets.

There are forms of homelessness so hidden, that even people experiencing them don’t necessarily realise that they fall under ‘homelessness’.

What we do at Julian House to help people who are experiencing hidden homelessness?

At Julian House, our services go beyond offering shelter for one night. We tackle the root causes for a range of complex needs empowering people to rebuild their lives.

This includes secure refuges for people experiencing domestic abuse, providing supported accommodation for people with multiple complex needs as well as support for members of the Gypsy, Roma, Traveler and Boater community.

How can you help?

By donating you are ensuring we can offer that first lifeline - a warm drink, a listening ear and eventually, a pathway to safety and recovery. But right now,

demand is growing, and cuts to vital services are pushing our team to the limit. 

If you have seen someone sleeping rough and want to connect them with support services, or in need of services yourself then contact Streetlink.