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Section E:
Involving Socially Excluded or Harder to Reach Groups

Homeless People

Homeless people are a particularly difficult group to consult with. There are few representative groups for homeless people, and individually they may be too concerned about finding a home and dealing with day-to-day problems to get involved in consultation. However, homeless people are likely to have particular needs that may not be met through mainstream services and are often unable to access services that they need because of their situation. Research carried on the health needs of homeless people suggests that they are over five times more likely to have problems getting onto or staying on a G.P.s list than the general public. (See www.crisis.org.uk/pdf/gppolicybrief.pdf for more information about healthcare and homeless people.)

One feeling that is sometimes portrayed by homeless people, is that there is little sympathy for their situation by people in authority as if it is in some way their fault that they are homeless. Research carried out by organisations such as Crisis (who are a good contact if you want to find out more about homeless people) suggests that up t o two-thirds of people who become homeless and for 90% of young people who become homeless, this is due to family conflict. (see www.crisis.org.uk/pdf/TroubleBrief.pdf for more information) This is important to bear in mind when preparing your consultation so that you present yourself in a way that is not going to be challenging or intimidating.

It is possible to access the views of homeless people through hostels such as Norman Bank (tel: 01274 431558). However, homeless people are a group who because of their situation need to be treated with great sensitivity. More informal methods of consultation tend to work best, for example in depth interviews with individuals, pairs, or small groups of friends, as opposed to more formal methods such as large meetings or focus groups.

Where consultation relates to service provision, consultation needs to be handled in a particularly sensitive way. Homeless people are often vulnerable and their responses to questions may be skewed by the response that they think the Authority wants to hear. It needs to be made clear that responses are treated in confidence and not linked to individual applications for services.

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