why is she homeless?

Posted on Sun, 26 Jul 09

There are four main levels of homelessness

Sleeping rough: Living and sleeping on the street, in parks, cars or bus shelters; squatting in abandoned houses.

Stop gap housing: In temporary housing, crisis or refuge accommodation, moving between the homes of friends or relatives, living in squats.

Boarding house resident: Staying in a boarding house on a medium to long-term basis without security.

Marginally housed - Living in caravan parks for financial reasons or because there are problems accessing more mainstream housing.

What causes homelessness?

You might find yourself homeless for different reasons affecting either yourself or someone else in your home.

Some causes of being homeless include:

• Physical, emotional or sexual abuse
• Family and relationship breakdown with parents, siblings or extended family
• Domestic violence
• Being kicked out or feeling unwanted at home - e.g. step-families
• Financial problems or unemployment 
• Physical or mental illness
• Intellectual disability
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Gambling
• Grief or loss
• Not enough affordable housing
• Overcrowding.

All these factors might cause people to become homeless but they also may be some of the reasons why people stay homeless. For example, drugs and alcohol abuse or lack of money can be both a cause and a result of homelessness.