Evictions and prolonged homelessness

This paper examines the connections between homelessness among older people and both evictions by statutory housing providers and repossessions by mortgage institutions. The evidence is from 45 single homeless people (among 313 in a succession of ethnographic studies) who reported that eviction made a contribution to their homelessness. Using preceding states and events as criteria, a taxonomy of these once-evicted older homeless people is proposed. For the majority, eviction followed a protracted failure to meet their financial obligations or to keep their property in good condition, and for many, mental health problems or exceptionally low competence in basic domestic skills were contributory factors. The experiences of the group strongly suggest that homelessness can be prevented if support is provided to vulnerable people as difficulties mount. Six risk factors for eviction and subsequent homelessness are identified, and the paper concludes that these markers could be used in experiments to recognise marginally housed people and as a primary prevention measure for homelessness.