Chaotic lives underlie troubles of homeless

Almost two in five of Britain's homeless people have attempted suicide, research has found.

Understanding Complex Lives, a survey of 1,286 homeless people and 452 follow-up interviews, found a strong link between sleeping rough and other "chaotic life experiences".

Nearly half of those surveyed – by researchers from the Economic and Social Research Council, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Homeless Link and the Tenants Services Authority – had also spent time in institutions, had drug or alcohol dependency or had been involved in "street activities" such as begging, prostitution or shoplifting.

The Independent reported last week that the number of people homeless in Britain had risen by 17 per cent over the past year after years of decline, as experts warned that housing conditions had become among the worst in Europe. Tomorrow the charities will begin a campaign to demand politicians take action against the rising problem.

Theresa McDonagh, the report's author, said the two-year study highlighted the need for workers in health, housing and social services to collaborate more effectively to prevent clients winding up on the streets. "Homelessness comes quite late in the day in the story of their lives getting more and more difficult," she said. "Usually they'll have had lots of low-level contacts with different agencies, but still fall through the cracks."

Twenty-nine per cent of those interviewed had been admitted to hospital for mental health issues, 23 per cent had abused solvents and 10 per cent had engaged in prostitution. Many had been neglected or abused as children. The report noted that housing support agency staff could feel "out of their depth" by having to fill the gap "left by the retreat of social workers from direct work with adults".

Housing minister Grant Shapps said the findings resonated with his own research. "That's why one of our first tasks in government was to set up a cross-Whitehall group of ministers from different departments, dedicated to tackling the complex and far-reaching causes of homelessness."