Homelessness
Other factors that have an impact
Demand for social housing also exceeds available supply in Stockton-on-Tees. At the end of 2024 to 2025, 2960 households had an active Tees Valley Home Finder (housing register) account, a 15% increase on the previous year.
The total number of properties advertised on the site during the same period was only 464. Each property attracted an average of 90 bids.
People experiencing homelessness are more likely to have a physical health condition like asthma, heart disease, and epilepsy than the general public, and 82% have a mental health diagnosis. Many people experiencing homelessness do not or cannot access GP services. These barriers in accessing support means that people experiencing homelessness are over-reliant on emergency care, with 48% using A&E services in 2021. This percentage is 3 times more than the general population.
Homelessness can have a devastating impact on children. Over 164,000 children in England are living in temporary or emergency accommodation, the highest number on record. Across England, between 2019 and 2024, temporary accommodation has been a contributing factor to the deaths of 74 children. Being placed in temporary accommodation can also have an impact on childhood learning and development, by creating anxiety and not offering a safe and quiet space to learn.
Crime has a large impact on the Homelessness Service. Organised Crime Groups (OCG) can have a wide-ranging impact. For example, the service is often required to re-house those who are at risk of harm, which may be caused by the actions, or anticipation of actions, of OCG members, including acts of violence. This also affects the family members and associates of the victims.
Homelessness also has a large impact on employment. Many people who are experiencing homelessness and who do not have a job would like to work, but there are barriers preventing them from entering the workforce.
Example of barriers are:
- a lack of identification
- the cost of preparing for an interview
- no access to the technology needed to apply
