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The common lodging-house population and vagrancy.
In giving evidence before the Departmental Committee on Vagrancy on behalf of the County
Council, I included in a statement submitted for the consideration of that Committee, the following
paragraphs relating to the result of two attempts to ascertain the number of persons without settled
homes who passed the night in the streets, instead of sleeping either in common lodging houses or
casual wards c—
"On the night of the 29th of January, 1904, effort was made by the County Council to
enumerate the number of people in London who, on that night, were walking the streets, or sleeping
on staircases, in doorways, or under arches, with a result that the Council's inspectors counted 1,463
men, 116 women, 46 boys, and 4 girls, who appeared to be under 16 years of age, walking the streets,
100 males and 68 females asleep on staircases, in doorways, or under arches, making a total of 1,797.
The figures suggest that an estimate that one person in every 2,000 was homeless would probably
approximate to the truth."
"On that night 23,442 persons slept in common lodging houses and shelters, viz., 21,058 single
men, 1,517 single women, 390 married couples, and 54 boys and 33 girls below 16 years of age. The
number of men in Rowton Houses was 3,530. The same night there was vacant accommodation in
the common lodging honses and shelters for 5,365 men, 603 women and 53 married couples. In the
casual wards there were 1,034 men, 175 women, and 9 children, the available accommodation being
for 1,243 men, 410 women, and 114 women and children.
"Returns from the keepers of common lodging houses and shelters showed that 832 men, 118
women, and 7 children were, the same night, turned away from these places mainly on account of
inability to pay for a night's lodging."
"In connection with the number of people turned away from common lodging-houses through
inability to pay for their bed, an experience of certain keepers of common lodging-houses is interesting.
It was a general practice to allow frequenters of common lodging -houses to occupy the kitchens
during the day, and indeed until closing time, which is usually at midnight or 1 a.m. The keepers did
not know until that time which of these people would pay for a bed and which would not, with the
result that a large number of ' turn outs ' as they were called, resulted."
"Early last year, however, a number of keepers resolved to alter this practice, and refused
to allow anyone to occupy the kitchen without payment, and as a result there were not only no 'turn
outs' from these houses, but men who before used to be 'turn outs' found work and paid for their
night's lodging. I understand, however, that this new practice has not been maintained."
"On the night of the 17th February, 1905, effort was again made to count the number of persons
in London apparently homeless, the Council's officers and the officers of several Sanitary Authorities
engaging in the enquiry. The results were as follows:—1,869 men and 312 women were found in the
streets or on staircases or under arches, or 2,181 in all; of these 827 men and 39 women were in Wych
Street, Strand, where food was being given away by the Salvation Army, and 161 men and 60 women
in Whitechapel Road, where food was also being given away by the Salvation Army. In a tent of the
Church Army in Clare Market, Strand, 300 men were or had been chopping wood, they were given two meals
during the night, and were given tickets for beds in common lodging houses which, however, would not
be used until the following night; these should be added to the total. There were also 64 men in
premises of the Salvation Army in Wych street, who subsequently were admitted into the Salvation
Army shelter in Millbank Street. These are not therefore regarded as homeless."
"In the common lodging houses and shelters that night were 23,381 persons, viz., 21,055 single
men, 1,578 single women, 357 married couples and 34 children under ten years of age. All these people
were lodgers, and to these might be added 140 men and 110 women in the Providence Row night
shelter, as yet unlicensed, and 59 in an unlicensed shelter in Paradise Street, Rotherhithe, both of which
are free shelters. Among the inmates of the common lodging houses were 1,600 men who had been
given tickets for their lodging by the Church Army. The number of men in Rowton Houses was 3,589,
or an increase of 59, while in Carrington House at Deptford, belonging to the County Council, were 461
men."
"The same night there was vacant accommodation in the common lodging houses for 4,610 men,
856 women, and 62 married couples."

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