News & Events

Homeless people die 30 years younger

Homeless people in England die 30 years younger than the national average. 

This is one of the shocking findings of a newly published research study. 

Jude Todd, Co-ordinator for local homeless charity New Forest Nightstop, says, “The charity Crisis has found an average homeless person has a life expectancy of 47, compared with 77 for the rest of the population. And while the overall average of death for men and women who were homeless was 47, the mean age of death for women was found to be even lower, at 43.”

The report, produced by Sheffield University, didn’t just study people on the streets but also the wider homeless population which included those who live in night shelters, hostels and who use day centres.

Researchers found that homeless people are nine times more likely to commit suicide than the rest of the population and deaths as a result of traffic accidents are three times more common.

Jude Todd says that the national survey results come as no surprise and explains that the bleak picture is borne out by the situation locally, “New Forest Nightstop has seen a 50% rise in homeless referrals compared to this time last year and with the Christmas season upon us, this acute crisis feels all the more urgent.”

Jude states, “People can often think that this is a city issue but homelessness exists here in the New Forest too. With Nightstop being the only emergency service in the forest and facing the end of our funding in March 2012, it is crucial to keep this service available for those suffering homelessness and its dramatic impact on their lives, in our forest community.’

New Forest Nightstop is a project run by Community First New Forest.  For more information telephone 01425 478391 or email nightstop@cfnf.org.uk

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