Homelessness
According to figures released by the charity Shelter there are more than 300,000 people in Britain who are officially recorded as homeless. This is equivalent to one in every 200 people.
“Estimates made through official government data and freedom of information show that 307,000 people are sleeping rough, or accommodated in temporary housing, bed and breakfast rooms, or hostels – an increase of 13,000 over the past year, (Kentish, 2017).”
Mental Health
Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK experience a mental health problem each year.
1 in 6 people in England report experiencing a common mental health problem such as anxiety and depression, in any given week.
The NHS has recorded 1.4 million new referrals for talking therapies as part of a solution to tackling mental health.
In 2016 figures concerning mental health were published as part of a survey carried out every seven years. These figures are based on people who live in private housing in England and do not include the number of people experiencing mental health problems in hospitals, prisons, sheltered housing or people who are homeless.
As a result these figures may underestimate the occurrence of mental health problems.
- Generalised anxiety disorder 5.9 in 100 people
- Depression 3.3 in 100 people
- Phobias 2.4 in 100 people
- OCD 1.3 in 100 people
- Panic disorder 0.6 in 100 people
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 4.4 in 100 people
- Mixed anxiety and depression 7.8 in 100 people
These mental health issues are measured over an individual’s lifetime as opposed to every year.
- Psychotic disorder 0.7 in 100 people*
- Bipolar disorder 2.0 in 100 people
- Antisocial personality disorder 3.3 in 100 people
- Borderline personality disorder 2.4 in 100 people
- Suicidal thoughts 20.6 in 100 people
- Suicide attempts 6.7 in 100 people
- Self-harm 7.3 in 100 people
(Mind.org.uk, 2017)
Abuse
In England and Wales
- 9% of adults experienced psychological abuse during childhood.
- 7% suffered physical abuse in childhood
- 7% suffered sexual assault in childhood
- 8% witnessed domestic violence or abuse in the home during childhood
“More than one in ten women and 3% of men in England & Wales were sexually assaulted during childhood. (ONS Crime Survey for England + Wales, March 2016)”
“3% of women and 1% of men suffered sexual assault by rape or penetration (including attempts) during childhood. (ONS Crime Survey for England + Wales, March 2016)”
“Adult survivors of child abuse are almost twice as likely to have a long-standing illness or disability compared to non-child abuse victims – 28% vs 15% – (ONS Crime Survey for England + Wales, 2016).”
“Traumatic life experiences can have a significant impact on people’s lives, increasing the risk of poorer physical and mental health and poorer social, educational and criminal justice outcomes. Trauma informed systems can have better outcomes for people affected by trauma (NHS Education for Scotland, May 2017).”
(Napac.org.uk, 2017)
Gang Affiliation
There is no national measure of gang related crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, and any such data which may be recorded by the police is not collated centrally by the Home Office.6
Gang crime and serious youth violence is often synonymous with knife crime.
According to Metropolitan Police intelligence reports, there are an estimated 225 recognised gangs in London, comprising of around 3,600 gang members. 58 of these gangs are reckoned to be particularly active, being responsible for around two thirds of all gang related offences.8
There has been a 13% rise in violent offences including knife crime and sexual offences in 2017.
The crime figures show an underlying 8% rise in the murder rate.
The CSEW estimated that there were 1.2 million incidents of violence experienced by adults aged 16 and over in the latest survey year ending June 2017.
The police also recorded 36,998 of these offences that involved a knife or sharp instrument in the latest year ending June 2017, a 26% increase compared with the previous year (29,476) and the highest figure recorded since the year ending March 2011.
(Researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk, 2017)
References
Kentish, B. (2017). 300,000 people in Britain are now homeless, shocking study reveals. [online] The Independent. Available at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/homeless-stats-uk-latest-figures-new-study-shelter-housing-a8042841.html
[Accessed 21 Dec. 2017].
Mind.org.uk. (2017). How common are mental health problems? | Mind, the mental health charity – help for mental health problems. [online] Available at:
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/#.Wj4zY7UiHoa
[Accessed 23 Dec. 2017].
Napac.org.uk. (2017). Key Facts & Figures | NAPAC. [online] Available at:
https://napac.org.uk/key-facts-figures/
[Accessed 23 Dec. 2017].
Researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk. (2017). Cite a Website – Cite This For Me. [online] Available at:
http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CDP-2016-0045/CDP-2016-0045.pdf
[Accessed 23 Dec. 2017].
Client testimonial
“I left prison in 2016 and Pathwaze contacted me about 2 months after my release. I did not think that they would actually be able to help me because I had companies that said they would but never actually did anything.
Pathwaze made sure that I was accountable to myself by ensuring I attend my probation appointments and other important appointments I needed to get to. They checked in on my wellbeing – in fact, they would never leave me alone they kept nagging me and always kept me on my toes.
As a result, I had to learn patience, I learnt it because they were patient with me. I eventually started to open up to my Support Worker and they made sure that I was doing what I was supposed to do to keep in line. They kept me out of trouble, to be honest. I started to feel like I wanted more for myself and felt motivated to get into work. I was volunteering at a local soup kitchen, this also helped with my development.
My support workers have always been accessible, I can always contact them and they listened to my needs – see what happens when the right people help! Pathwaze helped me to get my own social housing, I am excited to start moving in. I now have a more positive view of life and now have proof that things are achievable. Look at me now, I couldn’t see myself how I am now 3 years ago. I now have a fulltime job and would like to go to university to be a youth worker. Thank you Pathwaze for everything.”