There is quite a lot of coverage in the press about increased numbers of rough sleepers and other homeless (7% nationally but in London a 37% increase). It isn't clear whether this is the recession causing people to be evicted or loss of employment or other factors.
Reading some local coverage I was struck by two things: most of the help is collective/communal - hostels, sleep trucks, shelters, and there is no mention of autism, even though other disabilities are mentioned.
A limited amount of research in the past has shown that a lot of rough sleepers have autism traits if not an autism diagnosis, but this is a group that is unlikely to adapt well to communal sheltered accommodation over winter.
I wondered whether NAS has a strategy for this.
I have asked my local authority about this several times and been told they know all about that, or they have lists, but nothing very convincing.
Maybe we ought to know more.
