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Information » Housing » Homelessness

Being homeless means not having a regular, secure home that you can feel safe and comfortable in. It can mean not having a roof over your head and having to sleep on the street.

It can mean also mean that you have nowhere to go and are staying with friends or in temporary accommodation such as a bed and breakfast hotel. So, you may have a roof over your head but you are still homeless. People in these circumstances are often called ‘hidden homeless people’.

There are many reasons why people become homeless. It can be that you have fallen out with your family, you are unable to remain in your housing because you can no longer afford it, left home because you suffered abuse or domestic violence or have been evicted.

Whatever the reason, it is important to realise having nowhere permanent to live is not something to be ashamed of and in some incidences may not be your fault.

There are a number of organisations who can help you for free and in confidence to make sure you have somewhere safe to stay as soon as possible.

This section provides information on what to do if you become homeless and how to prevent homelessness.