Why so many single men find themselves homeless
Men more likely to need support
Chris Skeels is tired. Evicted once again from another flat, the 37-year-old from Maidstone has two decades of near-constant homelessness to his name.
The prospect of a third fills him with despair.
One of more than 60 homeless people in Maidstone, Chris, along with several other clients at Maidstone Day Centre in Knightrider Street, agreed to describe their experience of homelessness and why it was difficult for single men to get a roof over their heads.
It comes as research suggests unmarried men who don’t have a permanent home have one of the biggest struggles to get help.
Now sleeping in a garage, Chris faces a difficult battle to get himself housed, all the while coping with a drinking problem he has struggled with for more than 20 years.
He called for more to be done to help people like him
‘I can’t do it any more. I just want my own place’
into housing. The former door-to-door salesman said: “I have had a drinking problem all my life. It is making me feel so down.
“I feel I am just fighting everyone and I need help.
“I can’t do it any more. I just want my own place. That is all I want.”
Chris’s case isn’t unusual. Many who visit the centre are young and single. Many are battling alcohol and drug problems or mental health issues.
Scott is 22 and has been homeless for three months. Previously in full-time care he slid into homelessness after being forced to leave his family home.
He said: “I stay round friends’ as late as I can, then I go back to my tent.
“It is the system letting us down. I should not be on the streets. It is not right. I am worried because I am 22 now and I am afraid I will still be on the streets when I am 40.”
And 48-year-old John spoke of his anger towards the council. His life began to spiral out of control when the hotel he ran with his ex-wife in Scotland went bust 13 years ago.
After a nervous breakdown, he no longer works and struggles to make ends meet.
He said: “It makes me angry and disappointed in the council. I see immigrants coming in and being housed while we don’t have a leg to stand on.” According to a report commissioned by the Department of Health, single homeless males are five times more likely to use A&E and are three times more likely to be admitted to hospital.
They display higher rate of drug and alcohol dependency and frequently also are affected by poor mental health, personality disorders and depression.
They are also the least likely to succeed at getting temporary accommodation. In Maidstone, the council gives priority to pregnant women, families, and people with mental health issues.
The council last month met with a number of groups to explore ways to improve the situation for homeless people in the town.