London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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In dealing with any comparison of figures relating to the homeless, however, regard must
be had for the number of persons occupying common lodging houses and casual wards, as there is
continual interchange among the three classes. The two following tables show the use made of
the common lodging house and casual ward accommodation on the several occasions on which
enumeration was made. For the figures relating to the casual wards I am indebted to Mr. J. S.
Davy, C.B., of the Local Government Board.
| Date. | Authorised accommodation | Number of persons occupying beds. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men. | Women. | Couples. | Total. | Men. | Women. | Couples. | Total. | |
| 29th January, 1904 | 25,718 | 2,281 | 447 | 28,893 | 21,058 | 1,517 | 390 87 Children | 23,442 |
| 17th February, 1905 | 25,671 | 2,450 | 422 | 28,965 | 21,055 | 1,578 | 357 34 Children | 23,381 |
| 8th February, 1907 | 25,599 | 2,436½ | 245 | 28,525 | 20,438 | 1,598 | 207 | 22,450 |
| 15th January, 1909 | 25,976 | 2,365 | 245 | 28,831 | 20,059 | 1,483 | 161 | 21,864 |
| 18th February, 1910 | 25,902 | 2,344 | 245 | 28,736 | 19,346 | 1,456 | 177 | 21,156 |
| Date. | Accommodation. | How used. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men. | Women. | Women and children. | Total. | Men. | Women. | Children. | Total. | |
| 29th January, l904 | 1,243 | 410 | 114 | 1,767 | 1,034 | 175 | 9 | 1,218 |
| 17th February, 1905 | 1,213 | 420 | 120 | 1,803 | 926 | 210 | 3 | 1,139 |
| 8th February, 1907 | — | — | — | 1,882 | — | — | — | 1,137 |
| 15th January, 1909 | 1,241 | 444 | 122 | 1,807 | 1,001 | 184 | 3 | 1,188 |
| 18th February, 1910 | 1,219 | 454 | 119 | 1,792 | 928 | 173 | 6 | 1,107 |
The next table shows the total common lodging house and casual ward accommodation, the extent of its use, and the number of homeless persons in each year.
| Date. | Accommodation (persons). | Persons. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.L.H. | Cas. wards. | Total. | C.L.H. (Inmates.) | Cas. wards. (Inmates.) | Homeless. | Total.* | |
| 29th January, 1904 | 28,893 | 1,767 | 30,660 | 23,442 | 1,218 | 1,797 | 26,457 |
| 17th February, 1905 | 28,965 | 1,803 | 30,768 | 23,381 | 1,139 | 2,181 | 26,701 |
| 8th February, 1907 | 28,525 | 1,882 | 30,407 | 22,450 | 1,137 | 2,404 | 25,991 |
| 15th January, 1909 | 28,831 | 1,807 | 30,638 | 21,864 | 1,188 | 2,388 | 25,440 |
| 18th February, 1910 | 28,736 | 1,792 | 30,528 | 21,156 | 1,107 | 2,747 | 25,010 |
* These figures do not include the persons in the unlicensed homes and institutions referred to in table No. IV
these persons might be regarded as belonging to the common lodging house class.
From these tables it will be observed that there is a continuous and steady reduction in the
number of inmates of common lodging houses, and in comparing 1910 with the previous year there
is a difference to the extent of 713 men and 27 women, though the beds occupied by couples
showed an increase of 16. There was thus a nett difference of 708 persons. In casual wards,
too, the figures for the several years, on the whole, show a decline, and the persons,
accommodated on the 18th February last were fewer by 81 than those received on the 15th January,
1909. There was thus a deficit of 789 persons in common lodging houses and casual wards
together. To be set against this there is an increase of 359 in the number of homeless persons,
leaving a total of 430 persons who have been removed from the class of people now being
considered, whether by way of admission to public institutions, death, or improvement in circumstances
cannot be stated. If the figures for men and women are treated separately there is some
difference to be observed. In comparing the 1909 and 1910 figures, the later results show a
decrease of 713 men in common lodging houses, and 73 men in casual wards, or 786 men
in all. In the "homeless" figures, however, there is an increase of 325 men, leaving
a nett deficiency of 461 men. It might be pointed out in passing that nearly 300 more
tickets for beds in common lodging houses were distributed last year than this year, which
might account for part of the large diminution in the lodging house population and the large
increase in the number of homeless men observed in 1910. With regard to women, the figures
for 1910 show a decrease of 27 in the lodging house population, and 11 in the casual ward population,
or 38 in all. The increase in the number of homeless women was 50, and this in spite of
the fact that 153 tickets were this year distributed entitling the holder to a free bed in a common
lodging house. This is quite a new departure, inasmuch as the number of tickets for women given
away in previous years was so small as to be negligible, and it might, therefore, be suggested that