A homeless crisis

According to recent data from Shelter, there is a critical issue of homelessness in the UK right now, with at least 309,000 people without a fixed address.

They further estimate that there will be a 14% rise in homelessness within a year, indicating an alarming and escalating housing emergency.

This study, carried out in the US, revealed that if homelessness was reduced by 25% then almost 2,000 American lives could be saved from opioid overdoses. Given the similar public health challenges related to homelessness and drug-related deaths in the UK, we set out to apply the calculations used in the study to figures here.

Figures in the UK

Shelter’s analysis of homeless figures in the UK shows a 29% increase year on year of those sleeping rough in the UK, with 3,000 on the streets on any given night.

A further 279,400 are registered as living in temporary accommodation, with a large proportion of these being families, which has also seen an increase of 14% from the year before.

Figures from the government also reveal that almost half (47%) of those who are homeless and living in temporary accommodation have done so for more than two years, with seemingly no end in sight as Brits struggle with a shortage of affordable housing.

These figures have prompted us to use the insights from the US study to investigate the situation in the UK.

Potential lives saved

There is a known relationship between homelessness and alcohol abuse, with many long-term rough sleepers suffering from alcohol and drug issues.

Lester Morse, director of Rehabs UK, says “Many people on the streets are lonely and feel no hope. They take drugs or drink alcohol to achieve the desired comatose effect to lessen the knowledge that the coming day holds nothing for them.”

In 2021 there were nearly 21,000 deaths related to alcohol in the UK, and we’ve calculated that if homelessness decreased by 25% then these deaths would be reduced by nearly 14% (2,920 lives each year).

And that same decrease could save more than 160 lives each year from opioid -related deaths, which also presents a real problem in the homeless community.

“Many people on the streets are lonely and feel no hope. They take drugs or drink alcohol to achieve the desired comatose effect to lessen the knowledge that the coming day holds nothing for them.”

Even a decrease in homelessness of 10% would still save more than 65 lives a year from opioid deaths and over 1,000 from alcohol-related deaths. (Due to the nature of addiction, some of these lost lives may overlap.)

Action needs to be taken

Here at Rehabs UK, we are calling for a replication of the US study to obtain localised evidence for policy and intervention planning to reduce homelessness. More in-depth research is needed into the relationship between homelessness and substance-related deaths.

There is a huge importance placed on comprehensive strategies that address both homelessness and substance misuse to save lives, but we think they are simply not working hand-in-hand at the moment, and this needs to change.

Lester says: “Spending huge amounts of funding on a very low level of services won't help many, if any. Investing in actual recovery programs where people are given a period away from those harsh trigger situations They're entrenched in, gives them time to thaw out and adjust back to normal living. Expecting someone to change when they have nowhere to live, because you gave them pharmaceutical scripted drugs won't change much, if anything, apart from the rise in the death count.”

Rehabs UK are here to help

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, Rehabs UK is here to help. Rehabs UK is committed to continuing to support those battling alcoholism, drug addictions and behavioural addictions. To access free assessments with trained treatment advisors, contact Rehabs UK.

Lester is a recovery coach and neurolinguistic programmer working with addiction treatment for over 30 years and knows only too well the struggles with addiction.

“Rehab saved my life in 2015 and helped me rebuild it. Without it I would have died.”

Notes on research methods and sources

We reviewed the relationship between homelessness and drug-related deaths from the US study and compared it to the latest UK homelessness figures.

• A 25% decrease in homelessness in England could save more than 160 lives from opioid-related deaths. Calculation:
• Convert elasticity figure into change in opioid-related deaths: 0.315x25=7.875%
• Calculate change in opioid-related deaths: 2115/100x7.875=166.6
• A 10% decrease in homelessness in England could save more than 65 lives from opioid-related deaths. Calculation:
• Convert elasticity figure into change in opioid-related deaths: 0.315x10=3.15%
• Calculate change in opioid-related deaths: 2115/100x3.15=66.6225
• A 25% decrease in homelessness in England could save approximately 2,920 lives from alcohol poisoning-related deaths. Calculation:
• Convert elasticity figure into change in opioid-related deaths: 0.557x25=13.925
• Calculate change in alcohol-related deaths: 20970/100x13.925=2,920.0725
• In 2021, there were 20,970 deaths that were related to alcohol in England
• A 10% decrease in homelessness in England could save approximately over 1,000 lives from alcohol poisoning-related deaths. Calculation:
• Convert elasticity figure into change in opioid-related deaths: 0.557x10=5.57
• Calculate change in alcohol-related deaths: 20970/100x5.57=1,168.029

It should be noted that due to the nature of addiction, some of these lost lives could overlap.