IndexHomelessness in the UKCauses of homelessnessStrategies to tackle homelessnessHomelessness Act 2002/2004Homelessness in the UKHomelessness, as a socio-economic problem, has been prevalent in much of the history of the humanities and continues to present itself as a problem to this day, with many economically thriving Western cities still experiencing this problem. In the UK, homelessness can be found in many large cities and numerous causes cited such as: inequality, lack of affordable housing and the attraction of crime and drugs. This report will look in detail at these causes and the measures taken by the UK Government to classify and rectify the age-old problem of homelessness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, it is pertinent to define homelessness as it exists today. Homelessness, in its simplest form, is defined as having no official or legally guaranteed permanent residence or place to stay and is therefore often considered synonymous with “sleeping rough” (Polakow and Guillean 2001). In the UK, however, there are five tests that a person must pass to officially qualify as homeless according to the social housing register. These tests are as follows: Is the person intentionally homeless? Is the person entitled to assistance? does it have a connection with the territory? Is the person homeless? Does the person have a priority need? Causes of HomelessnessThe causes of homelessness are often linked to many socioeconomic barriers and are often deeply rooted in various social groups, often the most vulnerable and For the less well-off, homelessness can also have more negative effects on more transient communities and groups, such as immigrants and refugees (DeVerteuil 2011). At first glance, the problem of homelessness is often seen as a purely economic circumstance: unemployment, poor education and class struggles are cited as the main causes of homelessness. However there are a myriad of different causes that can be linked to the problem of homelessness, primarily are social issues, drug use and crime due to the strains they can put not only on a person's physical and mental wellbeing , but also on the serious economic conditions. tension that can lead to loss of home or career (Fitzpatrick et al 2011). Several studies have also linked institutional problems to homelessness, such as serving in a penitentiary or being on welfare as a child, many former Soldiers and other armed forces employees have been found to be more likely to find themselves homeless again due to the mental stress these events can have on a person's mental well-being (Del Casino Jr and Jocoy 2008). Many modern studies have also focused on the mental and psychoanalytic factors that can lead to poor mental health and, conversely, to eventual homelessness. These studies have found many key signifiers in the minds of subjects that have been found to increase the likelihood of homelessness, these signifiers include: Addictive personality traits often found to correlate with drug use or an excess of "crime addiction “, systemic harm caused by a Long childhood characterized by abuse or neglect has also been found to increase the chances of homelessness (Kearns 1994). Strategies to tackle homelessness Many previous UK governments have adopted various measures and strategies to reduce homelessness and are often similar in their efforts.