'THE SEEDS OF EXCLUSION' Childhood experiences hold key to homelessness says new

A NEW generation of children risks becoming socially excluded and even homeless unless urgent action is taken to tackle poor and abusive parenting head on, a report warns today. This stark warning comes in ‘The Seeds of Exclusion’, a new report by The Salvation Army based on in-depth interviews with nearly 450 people currently receiving help in its homeless centres across the UK.

The report found that a very high proportion of homeless people surveyed had a disruptive childhood, and suffered abuse and problematic relationships with their family and friends both now and in the

past. Nearly 30 per cent were homeless before they were 18, some on more than one occasion. Those who had poor relationships with their parents were more likely to be have been homeless as children.

Traumatic experiences and poor childhood relationships with parents are key. Poor relationships with father as a child were common among homeless people charged with criminal behaviour as an adult. A poor relationship with mother was linked specifically to antisocial behaviour throughout life. ‘The Seeds of Exclusion’ study also discovered that homeless people have a much higher level of severe and untreated mental health problems than has been previously documented – two thirds (65 per cent) screened positive for two or more psychological problems such as personality disorders, a range of mental illnesses, drug and alcohol abuse. Only one in ten (11 per cent) of those surveyed had access to mental health care.