Perspectives

Homelessness in the UK

The novel Stone Cold by Robert Swindells presents a realistic yet dramatic portrait of homelessness in the UK. The events take place in the early 1990s when the UK was economically recovering from a past recession. Back then, the rates of homelessness were decreasing, yet the problem did not disappear completely. 

Swindells’ novel looks at several causes of homelessness. In Link’s case, homelessness is connected to unemployment and unfortunate family situations, where children escape the abuse of parents or step-parents. Other causes of homelessness could be drug abuse, alcoholism, and mental health problems. 

Nowadays, over 200,000 people in Britain are known to be facing extreme forms of homelessness, a number which is expected to d...