Homeless services taking "no account" of older people

Services for homeless people take “no account” of older people and services for older people take no account of those who are homeless, according to the report, Coming of age: opportunities for older homeless people under Supporting People.

The study estimated there are 42,000 homeless people over the age of 50.

It said that up to £5000 of public money could be saved per older homeless person if they were given appropriate help, such as specialist support workers to visit them once they were rehoused.

The costs of emergency hospital admissions, mental health care, residential care and the justice system, for example, could be avoided by providing proper services to older homeless people at the outset.

Sarah Gorton, project coordinator for the UK Coalition on Older Homelessness, said sheltered housing places were needed for formerly homeless people.

She said: “It would be good to ring-fence money within the extra care housing fund for people with a history of homelessness because there isn’t anything very appropriate for that population now.”

Jenny Edwards, chief executive of umbrella body Homeless Link, said: “We are calling on Supporting People lead officers and commissioners to take a more preventative role and ensure that appropriate services are provided that meet the specific needs of older homeless people.

“We are also asking that in preparation of Supporting People strategies and older persons’ strategies there is recognition of the older homeless population.”

London-based charities St Mungo’s and Broadway also called for better provision for older homeless people who can be “invisible and under-prioritised”.