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rough sleepers and autism

longman

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.

Parents

  • I have Asperger's and I have been homeless at various points in my life. On one occasion I lived in a men's homeless hostel [I'm a woman] and on another I lived in a backpackers hostel, sharing a dorm with 23 others. I found it difficult to interact with services to find a hostel but once I was settled I did OK. I would create a little world around me on my bunkbed and I would retreat there if things got too much. I did have trouble with people waking me up in the backpackers which I found hard to cope with and I'd sometimes sleep on a sofa instead to get a break from it. I was sexually harrassed in the homeless hostel but I had my own room to hide in. I definitely think that understanding how to ask for help and being able to reach out for help is the biggest obstacle for homeless individuals on the spectrum. 

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  • I have Asperger's and I have been homeless at various points in my life. On one occasion I lived in a men's homeless hostel [I'm a woman] and on another I lived in a backpackers hostel, sharing a dorm with 23 others. I found it difficult to interact with services to find a hostel but once I was settled I did OK. I would create a little world around me on my bunkbed and I would retreat there if things got too much. I did have trouble with people waking me up in the backpackers which I found hard to cope with and I'd sometimes sleep on a sofa instead to get a break from it. I was sexually harrassed in the homeless hostel but I had my own room to hide in. I definitely think that understanding how to ask for help and being able to reach out for help is the biggest obstacle for homeless individuals on the spectrum. 

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