Across the homelessness sector, providing food is often one of the first ways we open the door to support. From making sure that hot meals are available to anybody who needs one, through to supporting people to build their skills in budgeting for food and cooking in their home, nutrition is quietly weaved throughout all the work we do.
So, when our colleagues at the UK Right to Food Commission reached out we jumped at the chance to talk more about what food and hunger mean in homelessness services. The need to get members together was obvious, as commissioners told us about how, despite the overt focus on destitution and food poverty, very few of the sessions they had held so far had featured discussions about homelessness.
We were therefore pleased to be joined by four Right to Food commissioners and 26 Homeless Link members from across England who spoke about their experiences of providing food and relieving hunger.
What do we know about nutrition and homelessness?
Our conversations about homelessness and health often skim past the role of hunger, but evidence shows us that this has a huge impact on people experiencing homelessness. Recent findings from the Unhealthy State of Homelessness report show that 36% of people experiencing homelessness eat just one meal a day and just 3% eat 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
This is further illustrated by research from earlier last year that our research team conducted alongside Providence Row. This showed providers attempting to deliver food with little to no funding, leading to an overreliance on shelf-stable foods sourced through donations rather than on fresh, nutrient dense foods. Restrictions in service opening hours meant people frequently went without food over weekends.
‘You’ve ever been hungry? You ever starve in your life? Hunger’s messing with your bones, your muscles, and your mind,’ - G., male, 38, street homeless
The research spelled out the impact of hunger on all aspects of a person’s wellbeing, worsening their health and driving feelings of exhaustion and stress. This cuts across physical health, oral health, mental health, memory and substance use to complicate existing conditions and expose people to new health risks.
What did we hear in the Right to Food session?
The sessions showed the breadth of work to relieve hunger in homelessness settings, with representatives from soup kitchens, day centres, hostels and tenancy support services represented. While the services were diverse, the challenges were not: attendees reported rising demand, worsened hunger, and a more diverse clientele as cohorts who were historically insulated from the worst of food poverty, such as pensioners, had begun to seek support.
Members reflected on the patterns of hunger they saw: even when accommodated, many struggled with lack of cooking facilities or access to the food they needed. Members report people coming in extremely hungry on Mondays where food provisions had been closed over the weekend.
Despite effort to provide the best food possible, very little information is available to services about nutrition and some reported that more training on how to maximise nutrient density would be valuable. Calorie needs among service users are high, with people spending a great deal of time on their feet and walking. For many, this meant malnutrition, ill-health, and slow recovery from any injury or illness.
How is food sourced?
Despite providing essential meals to people who may have little access to food otherwise, very few services report receiving funding for food as part of their core funding. Most rely on donations, meaning fluctuating patterns of food availability and limited access to fresh foods. For some, this is compounded by dietary needs, with services reporting challenges sourcing halal produce or allergen-safe foods that can effectively bar people from their services.
Donations of food are often a mix of individual giving and corporate donations from supermarkets. Some reported a recent drop in supermarket donations, as improvements in stock management technology meant fewer waste products were passed across.
At an individual level, sourcing food is reported to be an extreme challenge. The rising cost of living means Universal Credit is increasingly insufficient to pay for food, while food banks are limited and often have restrictions on the frequency of use.
Even when able to access ingredients, access to cooking facilities is often limited, with many hostels and temporary accommodation providers having no accessible kitchen – to the point where some cannot even access a kettle or microwave. This not only restricts their autonomy but works counter to the aim to support people towards independence, as opportunities to build cooking skills and confidence are lost.
So, what works?
Our members told commissioners that, at its core, people needed access to more resources to ensure they could afford, source and cook food themselves. A right to food relied on the basic premise of a well-resourced social security system and access to space and facilities to store, prepare and eat food. The opportunity to offer more support around nutrition was welcomed as a possibility, with supported cooking sessions holding lots of potential but relying on staff having time, skills and resources to deliver.
For people whose circumstances or needs meant they were unable to cook independently, community food provisions were spoken of positively. When provided well, they provide food, community, and the opportunity to link in with a wider network of support. However, these required the funds to deliver nutritious food and the facilities to deliver this in a welcoming, warm and safe space. Members felt that these services should be widely available and accessible, with additional consideration of people in rural areas and those with accessibility requirements.
What next?
We are very grateful to the Right to Food commissioners for leading the session and listening to our voices. You can keep up with their work on the website of Ian Byrne MP.
