Dr Chauhan says rural homelessness is “a cause for national shame"

Local GP, Dr Zahid Chauhan.

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Rochdale GP, Dr Zahid Chauhan, whose work with rough sleepers has included coming into contact with a woman living in a field has described new figures showing a 52% increase in rural homelessness as “a cause for national shame.”

Nye Bevan House based Dr Zahid Chauhan, who is campaigning to make all UK GP practices “homeless friendly”, has seen with his own eyes how the problem has extended beyond traditional town and city centres to outlying areas of places like Rochdale.

And aside from being deeply concerned for the health of rough sleepers, he is disgusted that people who have fled from city streets because of abuse are now having to live rough in rural areas – where some rich residents have empty holiday homes.

Said Dr Chauhan: “First of all it is terrible that anyone should be without a home. But the rural homeless who have sought out the country because they believe it is safer, have to deal with a lack of health and social care services and have none of the charities that are desperately trying to help rough sleepers in town and city centres.

“It must also be galling to know that rich residents in those very communities have holiday homes that remain virtually vacant for most of the time. What an indictment of the society we live in.

“Rural homelessness seems to be an invisible issue. What is it going to take to get people to notice? The dead body of a rough sleeper in the woods?”

Recent figures compiled by charity Shelter have shown a general rise in Greater Manchester homelessness of 33% since June 2016. Until a study by the Institute of Public Policy Research (1) published this week – there wasn’t even any figures on rural homelessness. The think tank felt their shocking statistics could be a conservative estimate with people bedding down in parked cars, barns and outhouses and therefore being difficult to trace.

Dr Chauhan believes that the lack of affordable housing, little or no rehabilitation for newly released prisoners, the collapse of family units, draconian cuts to social services and the voluntary sector and fewer job opportunities, had caused a homelessness crisis – which was now extending to the countryside.

“Those living in urban areas probably haven’t given rural homelessness a thought and some people in the countryside are turning a blind eye to it, where once they were tight-knit communities who banded together to help any neighbour in need” said Dr Chauhan.

“Exposure to the elements, a lack of decent nutrition and healthcare plus the stigma of homelessness and sense of isolation can be devastating. No wonder well over a third of rough sleepers regularly attend A&E and their average life expectancy is just 47 years-of-age.

Our Government must do more to help the vulnerable generally. But as members of a community, whether it is in the town or country, all of us must look out for those in desperate need, perhaps act as their advocate or friend, or at the very least make sure they are alright.”

(1) You can read the Institute of Public Policy report “Right To Home? Re-thinking homelessness in rural communities” by visiting: http://www.ippr.org/publications/right-to-home