On the streets, a man can expect to die at about 45 years old, even while the average man will live until 76. For a woman sleeping rough, life expectancy is lower still at 43, while her counterpart in the wider population can expect to live until 81. A statistic, a tent on the street, a man holding up a scrap of cardboard: homeless people often die as they live, in anonymity amid general indifference. In an attempt to reveal the humanity behind those numbers, to interrogate the stories buried amid the statistics, the Guardian has launched a series, The Empty Doorway, recounting some of the lives of those who died homeless. Again, it requires more homes – and demands that those going through the programme get intensive social care.

Source: The Guardian October 02, 2019 17:28 UTC