When I was a child my mother would put our grown out of clothes in bags for the charity collection. I always remember her saying “there but for the grace of God go you and I”. That is true. We are more at risk of homelessness than many of us realise.
My parents grew up through the depression. My mother lived on a farm and her parents were able to weather the years of scarcity. My father was raised by his single mother. There was no financial support for women, only men, and work was hard to come by. They lived a very hand to mouth existence with unstable accommodation that changed often. I grew up learning the reality of homelessness and need.
Homeless: What Is It
Homelessness has been in the news a lot lately. With a shortage of affordable housing and too many people applying for a limited pool of rental homes there are many people living out of cars, tents, couch surfing and living rough.
By living rough I mean people who have to sleep outside, wherever they can find somewhere safe to sleep. This might be under a bridge, a shop doorstep, on the beach, in a park on the ground. It is an existence far more difficult than those of us who have not experienced homelessness understand.
Misconceptions About Homelessness
There are still many misconceptions about homelessness and homeless people. A number of South East Queensland councils have acted on those misconceptions and are waging war on homeless people.
They subscribe to the misconception that homeless people are alcoholics and drug addicts. They believe homeless people are dirty and leave a mess as well as attracting the “criminal element”. They believe homeless people are criminals and endanger the lives of those “upstanding citizens” who live in the area.
This is not true. Homeless people’s main contact with the justice system is through charges being laid because of where they are sleeping.
Causes Of Homelessness
Research into long term homelessness has shown that one of the major causes of homelessness is trauma. Trauma that results in poor Mental Health. There is so little support for those with poor mental health that many end up homeless.
Research also shows that homelessness is a major cause of trauma and poor mental health.
So those who become homeless but are in good mental health will not stay that way for long. And those who are already mentally unwell will get sicker.
Becoming Homeless Is Easier Than You Think
Becoming homeless after trauma is horrifyingly easy. One case is of a man whose son was killed in an accident. They had rented a home together. This man struggled with grief over his son’s death. This impacted on his work performance, and he lost his job. Then he couldn’t pay his rent. He was unable to find another job. He ended up homeless.
In another case a young woman with severe childhood trauma struggled with PTSD and found it hard to keep jobs. There was not the mental health support she needed to support her in staying employed. She had no one to turn to, no support, and ended up homeless.
It is sadly common for ex military personnel to become homless as a result of severe PTSD. Very little is done to support people who have served in the defence forces.
Homelessness Is A Vicious Spiral.
You become homeless. The lack of sleep and safety damages your mental health. It gets worse. If you are already struggling with poor mental health your mental health deteriorates further.
Sleeping rough on the streets is dangerous. It is never possible to drop your guard, so sleep becomes difficult. Constant vigilance leads to anxiety. Sleep is broken by interruptions: some from council workers moving you on, some from police, and some by members of the public. Unfortunately some members of the public are looking for someone to beat up and you are vulnerable to being their victim.
Constant vigilance reduces the quality and quantity of sleep. You become anxious. Sleep is broken. You never get enough sleep. Studies have shown the detrimental effect sleep deprivation has on people. It results in a deterioration in your mental health.
For homeless women it is worse. Night time is a dangerous time and many women spend the night on the move just trying to stay safe. In the day time they will often hide and try to sleep. Of course sleep quality during the day time is very poor so sleep deprivation and deteriorating mental health are also a problem for women.
It is a vicious cycle. Trauma impacts on the ability to function in society, a society where there are few supports. Inevitably some become homeless. The experience of homelessness, the hypervigilance and the fear feed into more hypervigilance and fear. There is the fear of the initial trauma and then the fear of further trauma. Without good mental health it becomes harder to get off the streets.
Poor mental health is most likely to cause further isolation, deeper anxiety and depression. It can also lead to people using drugs to try to cope with the trauma of homelessness. Treating trauma and supporting those who have become homeless is vital to providing a way out of homelessness.
Secure Sleep Environments Are Also Important.
You may wonder how this relates to you?
It is important to remember that childhood trauma is a major precipitating factor for homelessness. There needs to be more support for childhood trauma recovery. If you have a family member who has suffered trauma then encourage them to seek help. If you are in a position to support counselling financially, or arrange support, then please do it.
Likewise, if you have friends who are struggling then encourage them to seek help and support them to continue with that help by encouraging them to continue with therapy and being there to listen to them.
If you are suffering from trauma then seek help. It can make the difference between you being able to cope with life and maintain a job or becoming homeless.
Can I Help?
If you would like to talk to me about how I can help you with your trauma, please contact me on 0409396608 or nan@plentifullifecounselling.com.au
If you would like to learn more, I write a regular newsletter with helpful information, tips, information on courses, and the occasional freebie. At the moment I have a free mindfulness meditation for anyone who signs up to my newsletter. This meditation offers a way to safely explore your feelings and learn to be okay with them. If you would like to subscribe please click on the link here: http://eepurl.com/g8Jpiz
*please note that whenever I mention someone in my blogs I never use real names and change the circumstances to de-identify the person who has generously given permission for me to use their story in my blog.