Crisis: Four out of 10 employers admit they would likely seek to terminate an employee’s contract if they were homeless
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Draining, frightened, judged: Harrowing new report uncovers
the inhuman reality of what it is like to be homeless and working
in 21st century Britain New analysis of UK government
statistics reveals that almost one in four households facing
homelessness in England are in work as the cost-of-living crisis
escalates The new insight comes as Crisis prepares to open its
Christmas services for the 50th time A staggering four...Request free trial
A staggering four out of 10 employers (42%) from across the UK have admitted they would likely seek to terminate an employees’ contract if they were homeless, despite nearly one in four households in England being at risk of or experiencing homelessness an eye-opening new report by Crisis, which launches today, reveals. The report draws on a survey of 250 UK employers, new analysis of UK government homelessness data and in-depth interviews with people from across Great Britain who have experienced being in-work and homeless in the last two years. It exposes the tremendous strain working and being homeless has on a person’s wellbeing, how it damages people’s chances of creating meaningful connections with colleagues and how staff are reluctant to turn to their employer for support out of fear of losing their job. The research also reveals how poorly paid, insecure work is leaving people trapped in homelessness. Through first-hand accounts, participants revealed how experiencing homelessness while working had a hugely detrimental impact on their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing which was exacerbated by the constant struggle of trying to keep their homelessness a secret and made daily activities like eating, sleeping and washing extremely difficult to manage. Participants described how they were frequently left anxious and exhausted when at work due to the mental toll of trying to find somewhere to sleep night after night, with many forced to bed down in vehicles, on floors or in tents, before having to travel long distances to get to work with very limited transport options besides walking. Many saw their hygiene suffer as they struggled to wash themselves and their clothes, often turning to gyms or the generosity of friends to access showers, with one participant recalling how they had to resort to washing in train toilets. [See notes to editor for case study quotes.] Sadly, the isolation of working without a home was also revealed, with most participants choosing not to tell their boss as they felt nothing good would come from it but also from the shame of how they would be perceived. This resulted in many participants taking steps to conceal their situation by using friends or family members addresses for admin and avoiding situations where their homelessness could be uncovered, leaving them cut off emotionally from their peers. While there were instances of companies providing support to their employers either via time off or loans to find a home, disturbingly several participants reported being let go when their situation came to light with little to no reasoning, other than their situation made their employment untenable. The survey findings reflect why workers were right to be concerned with over half (56%) of employers stating homelessness would likely have a detrimental effect on a current employee’s job, while a further 58% disclosed how being homeless would likely have a negative impact on a prospective employee’s application, suggesting that negative attitudes to homelessness is a major issue amongst UK businesses. The report also highlighted regional disparities in the number of people trying to hold down a job without a home:
[See notes to editor for regional breakdown while a breakdown by local authority can be found here] The research also drilled down into the reasons why workers are locked in a cycle of homelessness with no end in sight. A key driver for most was the sheer lack of affordable housing and rapidly increasing living costs which is putting further pressure on already strained budgets and leaving many fearing how they will cover rent, bills and other necessities like heating and food. The low paid and often insecure nature of their work also meant that in many cases private landlords were reluctant to rent to them leaving them with little hope of finding a home. Daniel, who’s in his 30’s and lives near Manchester, works fulltime in a factory but became homeless in August when a relationship breakdown meant he could no longer stay with his friend. Since then, he’s been forced to rip through his wages staying in a hotel for two weeks before spending the rest of the month sleeping in the back of his friends’ transit van because he cannot afford a place of his own. After months of going back and forth with the council, he’s recently been granted permission to bid on social housing, but he has no idea how long this could take. Talking about his experience, Daniel said: “The last few months have been really horrendous. As soon as I became homeless, I went to the council and told them I had nowhere to go but they said I wasn’t eligible for temporary accommodation because I was working. Rents are too high for me so I’m basically stuck in this situation until I can find a house through the council. “I haven’t told work because I’m worried people would gossip and tell head office - trying to hide it is hard, so I tend to not get involved in conversations as I’m frightened of slipping up. “The whole situation has been all consuming. My diet has become so bad as I’ve got nowhere to cook, and I can’t afford to eat out. I have to go to Tesco at certain times for all the reduced items just to make my money stretch. Showering is also really difficult – in the hotel it’s fine but when I’m in the van I have to get to work early so I can have little washes – I’ve got a skin condition which I need to use creams for, but I can’t wash them off so it’s really not nice. “The temperatures are also starting to drop and I’m dreading it – I’m just hoping that a house will come up soon.” This shocking insight comes as Crisis prepares to open it’s Christmas services across Great Britain for the 50th time, with the charity providing hotel accommodation for people who would otherwise be sleeping rough in London, many of whom will be in work. Alongside this, the charity will also be supporting thousands more in insecure accommodation by providing food, companionship and access to Crisis’s year-round support to leave homelessness behind. Commenting on the research Crisis Chief Executive, Jon Sparkes, said: “It should shame us all that this Christmas tens of thousands of people – many of whom kept us safe during the pandemic by delivering our packages, stocking our food shelves and teaching our children - are being forced to hunker down in vans or sleep in freezing tents because they cannot afford a roof over their head. “For too long now, insecure poorly paid jobs combined with spiralling housing costs have been putting untold pressure on people up and down this country. We need to ensure that work can provide a reliable route out of poverty, otherwise this will continue to be an inhuman and devastating reality for many. “It is crucial that everyone plays their part in tackling homelessness, and this includes businesses and employers providing the right support to staff when they fall on hard times. We also need the UK government to get to grips with the root causes that are pushing people to the brink – starting by unfreezing housing benefit so that people can afford to pay their rent and building the social homes we desperately need, so that people on low incomes can have a home of their own. “Until we tackle this for good, Crisis will continue to be there for the people that need us - providing a safe place to stay, companionship, food and support – and hope for a future away from homelessness.” People can support Crisis this Christmas by donating £29.06 which will provide people experiencing homelessness with a life changing gift of somewhere safe to stay, food, friendship, care and advice. Please visit: www.crisis.org.uk/support -Ends- Notes to editor Further findings and quotes Other key findings from the report include:
Case study quotes from the research “It’s very, very stressful. Especially when you’re sleeping rough. So you’re sitting there, you’ve got work the next morning but you can’t go to sleep, because you’re scared to sleep in case someone robs you when you’re sleeping.” Dale*, 30’s, Delivery Drivers Mate “There’s been cases where they’ve found out I was classed as homeless and then they’ve got rid of me, because of my living situation… so that makes me not want to tell people either. Just in case something happens, or I lose a job.” Matt*, 30’s, Retail worker. “I didn’t get any sleep whatsoever and I was struggling, I was mentally drained, and I couldn’t work, there was a day when my focus was definitely not there, even if I just tried opening the laptop, trying to reply, I can’t do it, I can’t function.” Julia*, 30’s, Administrator. “Yeah, the days where I’d, I had nowhere to stay and I’d be turning up to work again in the same shirt … It was yeah, a bit embarrassing, but it would be like you’d make an excuse… Like yeah, my misses didn’t wash the suit, shirt or something.” Marcus*, 40’s, Mechanic *Names have been changed to protect participants identity. Research Methodology The full report ‘Barely breaking even’: the experiences and impact of in-work homelessness across Britain is available upon request. A survey of 250 employers was undertaken. Two-thirds of which employed 250 or more people. Primary data was supplemented with analysis of secondary data including England’s statutory homelessness statistics (H-CLIC) to understand the scale of those who are currently homeless or at risk of being so who are working (full or part time). 34 people with current or recent experience (within the last 2 years) of in-work homelessness were interviewed across England, Scotland and Wales. 15 of these also used a digital ethnography app to undertake a series of diary keeping exercises to capture and explore their experiences of working without a home. 1. Data on the number of people at risk of or experiencing homelessness is taken from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) Statutory Live Homelessness Tables. Data from July to September 2020 (Q3) to April to June 2021 (Q2) shows 60,660 households who were owed a homelessness prevention or relief duty had at least one person in full time or part-time work – 22% of the total. The total number of households owed a homelessness prevention or relief duty in that period was 270,500. Regional breakdowns are below:
2. The online survey took place in September 2021 among managers working in HR and related departments. around 10-minutes long and consisted mostly of closed questions, with a small number of opportunities to provide open-ended responses. The research sample consisted of 250 respondents. All worked for organisations with over 50 employees, with around two thirds (65%) of organisations employing over 250 employees. The fieldwork was carried out by Yonder Data Solutions. 3. ONS People in employment on zero contract hours: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/emp17peopleinemploymentonzerohourscontracts Advice for people in work but on low incomes If you are in work but on a low income and need advice on what benefits, grants or other financial support may be available then the following organisations can help:
In the new year, Crisis will be publishing a guide for employers on how they can best support their staff who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. |