Sat on the edge of the street, people by the hundreds walk by without acknowledgement, even eye contact. Whilst much attention is given to loneliness in the elderly (as witnessed in much of the recent outcry over the BBC’s scrapping of free licence fees for over-75’s), why is there not more attention given to the issue of loneliness in the homeless community?
77% of homeless people often or sometimes feel lonely, according to a survey undertaken by Crisis in 2015. That’s more than three times the level of loneliness amongst the middle-aged and older.
The effect of this loneliness may be small at first but can turn into social isolation which, in turn, can lead towards social exclusion. Excluded from mainstream social networks, it becomes harder and harder to get housing and find gainful employment.
