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 1930
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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TABLE II. Showing the total number of persons who might be regarded as homeless because they were unable to pay for a bed.
| Description. | 1910. | 1930. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men. | Women. | Young persons | Total. | Men. | Women. | Young persons | Total. | |
| Persons found homeless in the streets | 732 | 220 | 17 | 969 | 54 | 25 | — | 79 |
| Persons in casual wards | 928 | 173 | 6 | 1,107 | 724 | 16 | — | 740 |
| Persons in receipt of Poor Law relief in common lodging houses | — | — | — | * | 247 | 26 | — | 273 |
| Persons occupying free beds in common lodging houses (paid for by charitable associations) | 368 | 80 | — | 448 | 123 | 16 | — | 139 |
| Persons who were allowed to "sit up" in a shelter with or without food | 1,561 | — | — | 1,561 | 332 | 10 | — | 342 |
| Persons who received food and a bed in return for a light work task | 217 | — | — | 217 | 296 | — | — | 296 |
| Persons in unlicensed houses where no charge is made | 701 | 350 | 11 | 1,062 | 282 | 107 | 18 | 407 |
| Persons in licensed houses where no charge is made | 1,235 | 37 | 8 | 1,280 | — | — | — | † |
| Total | 5,742 | 860 | 42 | 6,644 | 2,058 | 200 | 18 | 2,276 |
* No figures available.
† In 1905 it wag decided in the Courts that houses of this class could not be regarded as common
lodging houses. Previously, certain houses of this type had been licensed. The licence was
renewed until comparatively recently when the use of the premises was discontinued, and there
are now no licensed houses where no charge is made.
TABLE III. Showing the number of homeless persons distributed according to locality on 13th February, 1910, and 14th February, 1930.
| District. | 1910. | 1930. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men. | Women. | Children. | Men. | Women. | Children. | |
| Embankment—awaiting distribution of tickets by eleemosynary institutions, e.g., the Salvation Army, etc. | *1,450 | — | — | 9 | 2 | — |
| Holborn, City and north and northeast | 148 | 44 | 1 bov | 14 | 4 | — |
| Central, Westminster, etc. | 121 | 33 | 9 boys | 24 | 9 | — |
| East, Stepney and east centre | 199 | 88 | 1 girl | 3 | 7 | — |
| Paddington, Kensington, Chelsea, Fulham and Hammersmith | 95 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — |
| Waterloo, Lambeth and Battersea | 149 | 35 | — | 2 | 1 | — |
| London Bridge, Elephant and Castle, and south-east ... | 20 | 1 | 5 boys | — | 1 | — |
| Total | 732 | 220 | 17 | 54 | 25 | — |
In Table III. the 25 women in 1930 form a very high percentage of the total
number when compared with the year 1910. The result of the observation of many
years leads one to the conclusion that very few women are really homeless. The
classification of women found in the street is most difficult, and no individual inquiry
has ever been attempted.
. Included among the 1,561 in shelters in Table II.