Every night up to 2,000 homeless people in the UK sleep on the streets. The government wants to see that number cut by two‑thirds by the year 2002. How can the problem be solved? Earlier this month, Louise Casey, the head of the Rough Sleepers' Unit, caused controversy by saying that giving out hot soup and sleeping bags actually encouraged people to sleep rough. Most charities agree that long‑term solutions are most important, but that emergency street‑based services save lives, especially in winter.

Is homelessness a big problem in the UK?

Yes. Over 10,000 people will sleep rough over the course of a year; 25% of them are aged between 18 and 25 and 90% are male. People who sleep rough are more than 50 times likely to die from violent assault as the general population and are 35 times more likely to commit suicide. Half the people who sleep rough have a bad alcohol problem and 20% misuse drugs.

Do all homeless people sleep on the streets?

No. Street homelessness is just the tiny tip of a huge iceberg. Hundreds of thousands of people live in hostels and bed and breakfasts, or in overcrowded, damp or unsafe housing. Some of these will end up spending time sleeping on the streets.

There are around 400,000 people in England who are recognised by their local authorities as officially homeless. However, there are many more "hidden" homeless, people who are not officially recognised as homeless. At least 41,000 people live in hostels or squats and 78,000 couples or lone parents must share accommodation because they cannot afford to set up home on their own. Centrepoint, the housing agency for young people, estimates that 200,000 to 300,000 young people in the UK (16‑ to 25‑year‑olds) are living on friends' floors, in hostels, squats or on the street.

What causes homelessness?

The homeless charity Shelter believes the underlying reason in general is lack of affordable housing and, with a boom in house prices and rents, particularly in the south‑east, they worry that the problem will only get worse. People sleeping on the street are the most visible face of homelessness and have the most extreme problems. Street homelessness can be caused by family breakdown, domestic violence, drug or alcohol problems and mental illness. Family breakdown is cited by 38% of homeless people as the key factor that first drove them to sleep rough. According to surveys, only one in five of those who sleep rough do so by choice.

Most people sleeping on the streets have troubled backgrounds and need special help.

One study found that over three‑quarters of homeless teenagers were either long‑term non‑attenders or had been excluded from school. Many homeless people have been in care and around half have been in prison. One in four have been in the armed forces.

Young people flee troubled homes and move to a new city, to find no room in a hostel and no choice but to sleep on the street. Of the young homeless, 86% have been forced to leave home. One in five street homeless have a serious mental health problem.

Is there a solution to street homelessness?

There are many problems and many solutions. Long‑term solutions include providing more affordable, secure, good‑quality housing. But handing someone the key to a council flat is not enough. The street homeless need long‑term support, for example with alcohol, drug and mental health problems.

Prevention is better than cure. This means providing more support for vulnerable people before they end up on the streets. The government set up the Rough Sleepers' Unit in April. Louise Casey, head of the unit, made the headlines last week by saying soup runs and handouts encouraged people to sleep rough: "well‑meaning people are spending money servicing the problem on the streets and keeping it there". Last week, Shelter and Crisis launched their Millennium Plus project, to provide hostel beds for street homeless people, together with advice and help at the hostel so nobody is on the streets over the millennium period. They aim also to move people off the streets for good.

The government wants to reduce street homelessness by two‑thirds by 2002 and has a budget of £145m over three years to achieve this. However, it is important to remember that street homelessness is only part of a much bigger problem and that most homeless people don't live on the street, but in bad housing conditions.

Street life