Wayne Simmons, training officer at Housing Rights Service, examines the link between homelessness and literacy difficulties, and initiatives aimed at tackling the problem.

In 1998, the International Adult Literacy Survey identified almost one in four (24 per cent) adults in Northern Ireland as having poor or very poor literacy skills. It was a disturbing statistic, mirrored by similar poor standards throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Initiatives so far

In response to the report, government initiatives, such as Lifelong Learning, and Peace and Reconciliation funded community education programmes, quickly rose to the challenge of offering a variety of opportunities for adults to improve their literacy skills. It is difficult to assess the impact of these initiatives, as statistics have not been collected since the initial 1998 Adult Literacy Survey.

Many programmes looked at the problem holistically, working from the principle that struggling with the written word will restrict an adult’s quality of life in various ways – from supporting children with homework, dealing with a menu at a restaurant or completing a form at the Housing Executive. It was recognised that every aspect of life is affected, from socialising right through to the more imperative areas of basic finance, health or the welfare of an individual’s children.

Those struggling with reading and writing have been known to hide their difficulties from those closest to them, embarrassed and ashamed of their inability to read words that the average seven year old child might consider everyday vocabulary. The 24 per cent have therefore become somewhat invisible within the wider community, and marginalised by a reluctance to admit to their difficulties.

The Labour government’s ‘Partnership for Equality’ white paper, launched in July 1998, revised the previous government’s Targeting Social Needs initiative. An element of this initiative includes Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI) which aims to tackle social exclusion in Northern Ireland. Education has been identified as a major factor in improving social inclusion.

In 2001, a consultation exercise took place to consider what should be the key priorities to be tackled by PSI. Responses to the consultation identified homeless people as at greatest risk of social exclusion.

As part of the consultation, the Simon Community (Northern Ireland) prepared a briefing paper outlining how education needs to play a vital role in both the prevention of homelessness and the treatment of it – particularly with regards to the welfare of young people. A variety of approaches were suggested, from integrating the topic of homelessness within the school curriculum to providing support to parents to enable them to effectively help their children with school work. Homework clubs, as provided by organisations such as Surestart, have been an effective way to encourage parents to improve their own literacy and numeracy skills alongside their children.

On 20 March 2008, almost ten years on from the publication of the results of the International Adult Literacy Survey, the Minister for Social Development, Margaret Ritchie MLA, opened an exhibition of photographs taken by homeless people in Northern Ireland. The project was conceived and facilitated by artist Anthony Luvera, commissioned by Belfast Exposed. At the exhibition, the Minister spoke of the danger of homeless people becoming excluded from society. She went on to highlight ‘it is important that homeless people do not become the invisible people of our society and the images in this exhibition remind us of their humanity and individuality.’

The issues

The links between homelessness and education (or lack of) became apparent to me when, at the coalface of work with homeless people in Northern Ireland, I was working as a support worker within a local hostel catering for sixteen to 24 year olds. The effects of poor literacy on a person’s ability to access and maintain their own accommodation were all too obvious. More and more young people were presenting to the hostel with few or no qualifications and increasingly limited literacy skills. Previous attempts at independent living had failed; poor literacy skills all too often leading to the breakdown of many residents’ previous tenancies.

The Basic Skills Agency’s ‘Basic Skills and Social Inclusion’ report (1998) suggested that those with literacy difficulties are more likely to be homeless than those more confident with the written word, and literacy plays as vital a role in accessing and maintaining accommodation as it does in maintaining it.

For those seeking private rented properties, the classified section of a newspaper is important. ICT skills are required to enable access to the internet. Many estate agents require application forms to be completed just to express interest in their private rented properties, again putting up barriers for the 24 per cent with literacy difficulties.

For those seeking the less expensive, and generally more secure, social rented property, the application process is much more rigorous. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive and registered housing associations are required to assess and allocate property, based on the perceived level of need of each applicant or applicant’s household. Housing officers are tasked with carrying out a needs assessment with each applicant, awarding points for intimidation, insecurity of tenure, the condition of their current accommodation and any health and social well being issues affecting the applicant or their family’s ability to access and maintain housing. This is a much better process than asking the person to fill in their own application form, yet it still presents difficulties for those affected by poor literacy skills. For instance, people whose literacy skills are poor are likely to suffer from a lack of confidence. They may be less likely to present the housing officer with the relevant facts needed to fully assess their case, therefore losing out on valuable points towards their application.

There is also the issue of understanding important letters and documentation from social landlords, dealing with offers etc. Literacy problems will clearly affect the person’s ability to make informed decisions, or, in a worse case scenario, act upon reasonable offers sent to them via mail. An applicant, failing to respond appropriately to offers from the Housing Executive, could ultimately have their application frozen for a year and any points regarding insecurity of tenure removed – severe repercussions, indeed.

Reading and writing is also needed to challenge a landlord about their service, including the application process for social rented housing. Clearly defined complaints and appeals processes are essential, but when they require extensive use of literacy skills they become less accessible.

The challenge

At the National Housing Building Council Seminar on 19 March 2008, Barney McGahan, Deputy Secretary of the Department for Social Development, delivered a closing speech highlighting how, ‘the solution to our housing challenge can be the catalyst in delivering a much more inclusive, peaceful and prosperous society. If we are to enjoy the benefits of a shared equal future, we must start to address the housing question…’

Perhaps inclusion is only truly possible if further measures are put in place to help the one in four struggling with the written word to access and understand important housing information. A first step would be to ensure that all housing providers’ tenancy agreements, letters, brochures etc are laid out according to the guidelines of the Plain English Campaign.

While 24 per cent of the population of Northern Ireland is left to struggle with as basic a survival skill as the written word, the staggering figure of 19,030 households presenting to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive as homeless (2007-2008) is less likely to be significantly reduced.