Homeless truths: services and support for people living in emergency and temporary accommodation in Eastbourne

Healthwatch East Sussex wanted to understand the experience of people living in emergency and temporary accommodation (ETA).  They interviewed 48 people living in a single emergency and temporary accommodation scheme in Eastbourne.

Information gaps are a key barrier to reducing stress for residents placed in ETA, and to some extent, for staff interacting with them. Half of residents interviewed said that prior to arrival at the site, they had little or no information about what to expect, including arrival procedures and which essential items were included as part of their accommodation.

Almost 50% of the people interviewed mentioned feeling safe at the ETA site and that the accommodation met their needs. Residents gave very positive feedback about the site staff and manager, saying they were kind and understanding.

The accommodation site does not generally permit visitors to individual rooms or self-contained units. There is currently no child-friendly indoor communal meeting space available at the site. While there are sound reasons for generally applied “no visitors” rules in ETA, residents said that this had a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of both adults and children by contributing to loneliness, loss of confidence and reduced opportunities to access useful information via informal means. The impact may be greater on people who need interpretation/translation support or for those who need help with reading and writing and other support needs.

Families tended to find living conditions in ETA more challenging than single people. Reasons are mainly due to perceptions of insufficient space combined with uncertainty about the length of their stay which, for some, can be longer than 2 years due to the shortage of suitable move on accommodation. The challenges regarding lack of space are compounded by the absence of a child-friendly indoor communal area at this site. Some residents said they experienced issues regarding damp, the need for refurbishment and concerns that their children’s health was affected by it. The provider told us that historical damp issues with the old buildings have been resolved and that a programme of refurbishment is ongoing.

Feedback about adult health and care services (including mental health, primary and secondary care) was mostly positive once a consultation was obtained. The main criticisms were to do with difficulties contacting and booking an appointment. Fourteen people said they were not registered with a local GP. Some had tried to register locally but faced difficulties doing so, others were unsure about doing so because of the uncertainty of their situation, or said they preferred to remain with their existing GP, even if they were some distance away.

Almost 50% of the people were living with a mental health condition. Feedback from those who had accessed mental health services was mostly positive. Critical feedback focussed mainly on significant waiting times or unreliable call-backs which had a negative impact on those requiring support. Resident feedback suggests that the staff of this ETA site play an important role in listening to them and providing emotional support.

The feedback about access to dental services resonates with other evidence, both locally and nationally, regarding difficulties in accessing dental care.

Voluntary/community organisations accessed by residents received unanimous praise. These include Matthew 25, Foodbank, Salvation Army, Warming up the Homeless, Change Grow Live, Samaritans, Mind, and Citizens Advice. Feedback highlighted their essential role in both providing support and connecting people to other statutory and voluntary services.

Many residents expressed a preference for wellbeing activities which are similar to those promoted by NHS guidance, such as connecting with people, outdoor exercise, feeling safe, personal goals and hobbies. Some of these, such as walking, were easily achievable, but access to other activities are more dependent on additional factors such as personal circumstances, local knowledge, meeting/visiting facilities or security of tenure.

The report contains 11 recommendations.