Hundreds of volunteers will be working over Christmas to provide food and shelter for Britain's homeless people.

One charity, Crisis, says it expects to provide for up to 1,000 people in London alone, when it opens its doors during the last week of December.

The charity said increasingly it was helping what it calls the hidden homeless, rather than rough sleepers.

The charity estimates there are about 400,000 single homeless people in England, living in shelters, bed-and-breakfast and even sleeping on friends' floors.

What should be done to help Britain's homeless? Should their plight be raised all year round, not just at Christmas?

Vindy Bains from homeless charity CRISIS answered your questions in a LIVE interactive forum.

Transcript

Newshost:
Hello, I'm Andrew Simmons. Welcome to this BBC News interactive forum. Today we're taking your questions on the plight of the homeless. This Christmas the charity Crisis, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary for its Christmas operation, will be opening its shelters for 900 homeless people, 2,500 volunteers will be giving up their Christmas to help.

And with me is Vindy Bains from Crisis, thanks very much for joining us.

Now before we get into these e-mails, and there are plenty of them, I'd just like to ask - about this 30th anniversary - could you give us some idea of how much the problem has changed over the years - the problem of homelessness?

Vindy Bains:
Thirty years ago a group of volunteers got together to help rough sleepers over the Christmas period, providing them really with food and shelter and not much more. Since that time the problem's changed - homelessness is less about street homelessness but what's happened is that it's moved behind closed doors - in hostels, B&B, squats and shelters. And today what we see is a third of guests as rough sleepers, a third hidden homeless in hostels and squats and a third in their own flats but lonely and vulnerable. And 30 years ago we were just there with the most basic emergency services - food and shelter.

Today we have 23 services which are run by 500 professionals. So we've got teams of doctors, nurses, chiropodists, dentists, opticians, healers, arts and crafts, internet caf� - a range of different services - even samba classes - completely diverse range of services for homeless people. So they can get vital treatment for housing, alcohol, health problems and also enjoy themselves with five-a-side football or table tennis or whatever.

Newshost:
But it's a misconception to think that a homeless person is just a person who's sleeping rough on the streets, that there are the hidden homeless?

Vindy Bains:
Exactly, exactly. Rough sleeping really is the tip of the iceberg and it's a very small amount of the homeless population that is on the streets, the majority are behind closed doors but they have the same problems as those people on the streets.

Newshost:
Well I think we may have half answered the first question we have here but I'll put it to you anyway. It's Jack from Norwich who says: "Is the figure of 400,000 homeless exaggerated? I can't believe the figure is so high. I see some homeless but only a few. Also what percentage are mentally ill?" So two questions really.

Vindy Bains:
First of all there's no accurate figures for the number of single homeless people in England today, that research very much needs to be carried out and until we've done that we can't really go about tackling the wider problem of homelessness.

The 400,000 figure is an estimate of the scale of the problem but it is huge and rough sleeping, as I said, is just really the tip of the iceberg. In terms of mental health problems it's a massive problem for homeless people. Homeless people are eight times more likely to have mental health problems than the general population. Mental health problems cause homelessness and they get much worse ...

Newshost:
It's a sort of vicious cycle - depression and so on.

Vindy Bains:
Exactly. I've never met a homeless person who doesn't have some form of mental distress. Figures for the amount of people who have severe mental illness vary but at our Christmas shelters the level of need is quite shocking - we have people there with really serious mental health problems which are undiagnosed and often untreated.

Newshost:
This e-mail is just in and it comes from Alex from London and she wants to know: "In your experience what are the most common causes of homelessness?"

Vindy Bains:
Relationship breakdown is the most common cause and by relationship I mean relationship with a partner, husband, wife, mother, father, daughter - breakdown of the family unit is the most common reason. And also bereavement is another very high trigger for homelessness.

If I have a problem, if I have a personal crisis in my life I know I have my family, my friends all around to look after me, the difference between myself and a homeless person is that they don't have those support networks, so when something awful happens in their life they've got no one to carry them through that - those dark days, those awful times and that's how they become homeless.

Newshost:
Mike from the UK wants to know: "Why isn't there an "open door" all year round? I'm sick of the hypocrisy about the commercial type of period. Everyone wants to help so long as there are brownie points to be scored because it's Christmas. If people genuinely cared they would help all year round."

Vindy Bains:
I think during the winter period, the Christmas period, people are very aware of homelessness. Whilst everyone's sort of tucking into their Christmas dinner, buying presents, all the rest of it, there are people sitting there thinking about homeless people, people less fortunate, and also the winter months when it's cold out there attention does very much focus on homelessness.

But homelessness is a year round problem and I know that at Crisis we have volunteers and workers working throughout the year on the homelessness problem. Perhaps more people do get involved with volunteering and stuff over the Christmas period but it's something that we see very much year round at Crisis.

Newshost:
Guy Collins from London wants to know: "Aren't the charities part of the problem? There are so many aggressive organisations out there stopping people in the streets for money that seems to go into even more intricate marketing measures that I've completely lost sympathy with the organisations."

Vindy Bains:
I think people should feel that they can engage with a charity and support their cause or not and if people feel that people stopping them in the street asking them to give money to charities is too much of a presence then really they should be able to walk away and not engage. So it's really up to people as to whether or not they want to support a charity or not, they should be given the opportunity to engage or walk away as they so choose.

Newshost:
I suppose what he's getting at here is there are so many aggressive organisations out there but I certainly, from my experience of Crisis at Christmas is there's not exactly any aggression in the way ...

Vindy Bains:
I'm not quite sure what he means by that.

Newshost:
Maybe the approach of people putting tins in your face perhaps.

Vindy Bains:
Yes, that might be an issue - it's something he may have come across but I'm not quite sure what he's getting to. I think people have a choice - they can either walk away and not give and not support or they can support - there's certainly no element of forcing them to give their support.

Newshost:
Okay this next one's about perception I suppose, it's Phillip from the UK: "Homeless people are there for many reasons, I understand one quarter are ex-armed services, but aren't the majority homeless because of drugs?"

Vindy Bains:
Drugs is a very major trigger for homelessness but also, as he's just pointed out, people from the armed forces, prison and care are very, very vulnerable to homelessness because they have come from such an institutionalised background.

When you come from an institutionalised background independent living, doing things like buying food, cooking food, paying bills - all that kind of stuff - dealing with money can be very, very difficult if you've come from an institutional background. So people from prison, care, armed forces are at a real risk of homelessness. But homelessness just affects all sorts of people from all walks of life, it doesn't discriminate and it can happen to anyone.

Newshost:
Well this e-mail is just in from Dave, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, he says: "Many homeless people make themselves homeless. Why is not done to show them that there are options open to them other than running into the streets to live?"

Vindy Bains:
I don't think - I've never met a person who has chosen to become homeless. Homelessness is the end result of a series of very, very traumatic life crises, very, very deep rooted damage which starts in childhood and just eats away at the person's self confidence, self-esteem, everything they've got.

Homelessness is not a choice and it's no way of life for anyone. It's very frightening, it's very dangerous, it's one of the most damaging experiences that the person can go through. And people need support to get out of homelessness, it's not easy.

Also people are scared, people are very, very scared of leaving homelessness behind. You think about people who become homeless - they become homeless because they've lost all their family, their friends, once they become homeless the homeless community is very, very strong and it could be a fantastic source of support. But people can be scared to take that first tentative step out of homelessness because it means leaving all their friends behind, going into a community where they don't know anyone, where they've got no friends, no links and without those links it's just not worth it.

We've found that a quarter of ex-rough sleepers when they're housed back into flats will abandon those flats and go back to the streets or hostels again, mainly because of loneliness and isolation. And if we don't tackle that loneliness and isolation and build their social network - so they've got friends who aren't homeless - integrate back into mainstream community then we're not going to solve homelessness.

Newshost:
This one's from Simon and he's from Wales. "As important and needed as Christmas period shelter, services and activities are, I sometimes feel very uneasy about the same old homeless at Christmas stories year after year. It appears very disingenuous and more of a sop to the guilt of conspicuous consumption than a rage against the injustices of homelessness. Homelessness exists throughout the year and I know that Crisis does valuable work all year round. How do you think we can raise the profile of homelessness and the need for action to tackle it throughout the year - not just at Christmas?"

Vindy Bains:
Okay, first of all I'd just like to tackle an earlier point he makes which is why just at Christmas. Christmas is a vital window of opportunity for us, not just to deeply touch people's lives but also to save lives. Suicide rates rocket at Christmas and the research we're publishing today shows that one third of homeless people have kids they won't see on Christmas Day and one third will spend Christmas alone - that's a terrible, terrible way to spend Christmas.

A lot of guests who come to us are suicidal and we have Samaritan counsellors on hand 24 hours of the day to not just help people but also save their lives. Many homeless people don't have a GP, their only access to a GP is when they come to our Christmas shelter and over the years many lives have been saved. So we really do have a lifesaving role to fulfil over the Christmas period.

But also it's an opportunity to really reach out to people and the confidence and self esteem they get from us over the Christmas period for some can be a real inspiration and a motivation to tackle their problems fresh in the New Year and start again.

There's one guy who came to our Christmas shelters last year - street homeless, never used a computer before - used our internet caf�, absolutely loved it, joined computer classes during the course of the year, he's now running the internet caf�. And what we very much try and do through our Open Christmas and all the other work we do is link people into year round support. So the work really doesn't stop.

Newshost:
I think the point Simon's making is he accepts and support Crisis and the good initiatives that you're pursuing but he wants to know why can't the initiatives be more effective during - at other times. Is there anyway of actually upping the profile of the homelessness problem?

Vindy Bains:
Yeah he's absolutely right, it does need to be highlighted more in the summer months and at other times of the year and that's something we definitely try to do. So all the profile we have during the winter period is a fantastic opportunity and it's also - it's a bit of a double edged sword because it's an opportunity to get across the message that homelessness is a year round problem but also it can, if you're not careful, make people think it's just a seasonal winter problem. But we're certainly trying to make people realise it's a year round problem and other charities out there are doing the same.

Newshost:
Sadie Merry from Staffordshire wants to know: "Why don't you emphasize to the government and councils that they need to provide more help for the British homeless instead of for the asylum seekers that come into this country?"

Vindy Bains:
I wouldn't like to say one group of people is more deserving than another. There is need amongst asylum seekers and there is need amongst homeless people and let's not forget that the two cross over.

Newshost:
The homeless situation applies to both sectors. But what about the first part of the question because that is interesting - what more could the government do - are you happy with this government's performance on the homeless? They made a lot of homelessness early on in the administration but you don't hear so much of it of late do you?

Vindy Bains:
The government did really well working with the charity sector to achieve its target to reduce rough sleeping by two thirds by the year 2002. So rough sleeping is at an all time low and that is great. But what we've found is that people have moved from the streets into hostels, B&Bs and squats and those same problems that made them homeless in the first place are still there.

Newshost:
Do you think it's slightly out of sight out of mind?

Vindy Bains:
What we really want the British public to realise is that just because a person is not on the streets it doesn't mean their problems haven't gone away - they have the same drug and drink and mental health problems that they had when they were on the streets and without our help they will recycle back to the streets.

A piece of research we published a year ago showed that 40% of homeless people we spoke to were doing that street hostel cycle, just bumping back to the streets after going into a hostel for two days, two weeks, whatever amount of time it was. So we really haven't solved the homelessness problem, it's a growing problem and we really need to tackle it with vigour if we're going to achieve lasting change.

Newshost:
Janine Leigh from Swindon says: "Could you please let me know where I could help out with homeless people on Christmas Day in the Swindon, Wiltshire, area please?" And for that matter all of our viewers - if they want to help what should they do?

Vindy Bains:
Okay, we've got our Christmas shelters but they're London based, so we do get people from all over the country and we have accommodation for them. So if people want to do stuff in London that's available. Across the country there are a range of projects for different homeless people.

What I would suggest is a simple flick through her yellow pages to find out about local homeless organisations and see if she can hook up with them and volunteer or help out over the Christmas period and the rest of the year if she so wishes.

Newshost:
Just a quick one here, Jenny Parks from the UK: "Should I give money to the homeless or does that perpetuate the problem?"

Vindy Bains:
Is this a question?

Newshost:
I think what she means is should she give money to people on the streets begging or should she - I'm pretty sure that that's the case - or should she actually donate money to organisations like yourselves?

Vindy Bains:
I think the whole issue of begging is very complex but at the end of the day it's a matter of personal choice - it's just whatever they feel most comfortable with. A person can give money to a person who's begging on the street, if they want to help in other ways they can volunteer - give their time - or they can donate to a charity such as Crisis or another homelessness charity. But it really is a matter of personal choice and I don't want to tell anyone what they should be doing with their money.

Newshost:
And just finally - are you optimistic that we're tackling this problem effectively or do you think it's getting worse and out of hand?

Vindy Bains:
The homelessness problem is growing - so it's getting worse day by day. New people are becoming homeless every single day. So we have a massive job on our hands.

We've made good progress with the rough sleeping problem but we need to really tackle people's problems - those really complex drug, drink, mental health problems - to get them on to the next - they've got their space now - they're in hostels, emergency shelters - but they're really hanging in there by their very fingernails. We really need to tackle their health problems if we're going to achieve any lasting change in their lives.

Newshost:
Vindy Bains thank you very much for coming in and answering all those questions. I know you've been up since five this morning on the streets helping out, so thank you very much indeed. And thank you the viewers for watching and also for sending the questions in. From me Andrew Simmons goodbye.