A comparison of homeless and domiciled young people

Abstract

There is growing concern about the welfare of the substantial number of young people who are homeless in the UK. A sample of young people living in homeless hostels in Birmingham is compared with one derived from a private household survey carried out in the same city. Sociodemographic details along with information on mental health, substance use and service uptake were ascertained. The homeless sample were younger and more likely to be male than their domiciled counterparts. They had more often spent time in institutional child care and had worse educational records and lower levels of employment. Young people who were homeless had greater involvement with the police, more frequently used illicit drugs and reported worse physical and mental health than those in private households. They were equally likely to see a general practitioner and more often consulted for 'nerves' as well as having a higher rate of contact with mental health professionals. The bearing these findings have on how to tackle youth homelessness are discussed.