ABSTRACT
Housing is a very well-researched topic in the United Kingdom. Good housing will also make savings in the budgets for temporary accommodation, social services, police, court and prison. Statutory homelessness is defined under Part III of the 1985 Housing Act as the state of those people in priority need, not intentionally homeless, and with a connection with the local council to which they are applying. The delivery of health care to homeless people raises special problems. Often penniless, they cannot afford public transport fares, and may be too far from the general practitioner surgery to walk, especially if they have been given an out-of-borough placement. Physical health deteriorates in temporary accommodation, with increases measured in lung tuberculosis, rheumatic aches and skin, neurological and respiratory diseases. Mental health is also affected by overcrowding, with women at home with small children in poor conditions particularly likely to be affected.
