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Homelessness is not just a problem, it’s a crisis. It devastates the lives of many families, turning their world upside down. Good housing is essential to the well being of individuals but many people are affected by the problems of homelessness.
16,640 households were found to be homeless in the South West region by local authorities in 2001. Shelter estimates that this represents about 40,000 individuals (Source: Homelessness statistics DTLR 2000/2001. Shelter)
Who does it affect?
The majority of homeless people are families and single people who are not sleeping ‘on the street’. Some may be staying on a temporary basis with relatives or friends or living in temporary accommodation such as bed and breakfasts, or hostels. Others live in night shelters and refuges.
People lose their homes for a vast number of reasons such as family relationship breakdown, domestic violence, eviction by a landlord or through the process of seeking asylum and gaining refugee status.
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