The home secretary, Suella Braverman, stated that individuals who choose to sleep on the streets are making a conscious decision, as she defended her choice to limit the use of tents by the homeless population in Britain.
Insiders from Whitehall report that Braverman intends to take action against tents that create disturbances in city areas such as main streets. This comes as there has been an increase in the number of individuals sleeping rough, and the government views this as a rise in disruptive behavior.
According to the Financial Times, the home secretary has suggested implementing a civil offense that could result in charities being fined for giving tents to homeless individuals.
On X, previously known as Twitter, Braverman stood by her suggestions and stated: “The people of Britain are empathetic. We will always assist those who are truly homeless. However, we cannot permit our streets to be dominated by lines of tents inhabited by individuals, a majority of whom are from other countries, choosing to live on the streets as a way of life.”
If we do not intervene immediately, British cities will face the same fate as American cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, where ineffective policies have resulted in a surge of crime, drug use, and poverty.
No one in the UK should be residing in a tent on our public roads. There are alternatives available for individuals who do not wish to sleep outdoors, and the government is collaborating with local governments to enhance comprehensive assistance, including treatment for individuals struggling with drug and alcohol dependency.
“What I want to stop, and what the law-abiding majority wants us to stop, is those who cause nuisance and distress to other people by pitching tents in public spaces, aggressively begging, stealing, taking drugs, littering, and blighting our communities.”
The shadow deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, tweeted: “Rough sleeping is not a ‘lifestyle choice’. A toxic mix of rising rents and failure to end no-fault evictions is hitting vulnerable people. After years of delay the Tories are failing on their promises. Now after 13 years, they’re blaming homeless people rather than themselves.”
The Liberal Democrats criticized the home secretary’s desire to make it a crime for homeless charities to provide shelter and warmth to vulnerable individuals, calling it “unpleasant politics”.
Shelter, a charity that focuses on helping the homeless, replied to X’s statement by stating, “We need to clarify that living on the streets is not a choice of lifestyle, but rather a result of inadequate government policies. It is unjust to penalize individuals for being homeless. Criminalizing those who sleep in tents and prohibiting charities from aiding them is unacceptable.”
The housing crisis stems from individuals being unable to afford housing. The current situation is that private rents have reached record highs, evictions are increasing, and the cost of living remains a pressing issue.
“The root cause of record-high levels of homelessness and the presence of thousands of individuals on the streets is a combination of long-standing government neglect in providing truly affordable social housing. Despite the government’s pledge to eradicate rough sleeping, they are not meeting their goal.”
According to sources familiar with the matter, the government is currently reviewing Braverman’s proposed policies to potentially include them in the legislative programme, which will be announced in the king’s speech on Tuesday. These policies may be incorporated into two clauses of a new criminal justice bill that will apply to England and Wales.
They stated that the suggestions were created to substitute components of the 1824 Vagrancy Act, which made rough sleeping and begging illegal and which the government promised to abolish last year.
In Britain, there has been a rise in concerns from charities and politicians about the increasing issue of homelessness due to a shortage of appropriate housing.
The most recent yearly data indicates that 157,640 households were without a home in 2022/2023, which is a 12.1% increase since before Covid, and 104,510 were in temporary housing as of March this year. The most recent statistics on rough sleeping demonstrate a rising number of individuals resorting to living on the streets.
The population of homeless individuals aged 65 to 74 has significantly increased.
A bipartisan coalition of leaders from local government in England called on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to take action this week to prevent the decline of homelessness services due to the high expenses of providing emergency housing for displaced families.
Those seeking asylum who are given permission to stay must now leave their hotel or other housing within a week, leaving them vulnerable to becoming homeless.
The Glasgow city council has expressed concern about the Home Office’s proposal to close 50 hotels that are currently housing asylum seekers and switch to processing asylum applications in large groups. They believe this plan could lead to a “humanitarian crisis” by causing a rise in homelessness among refugees.
The government released a plan last year to eliminate rough sleeping in England by 2024, and committed to investing £2 billion over a span of three years. A prominent organization dedicated to ending homelessness has expressed concern that the government will not meet this goal.
Last year, the Office for National Statistics estimated that 3,069 individuals were sleeping on the streets on any given night. This shows a 26% rise from the year before, and a 74% increase since 2010.
In the current season, the Home Office released a 48-page plan aimed at addressing antisocial behavior. Rishi Sunak, in his introduction, pledged to provide law enforcement and other organizations with the necessary resources to take action and improve the reputation of our communities. This includes granting police new abilities to relocate individuals sleeping on sidewalks or in front of stores, as well as removing any clutter or items that may negatively impact an area. However, it is also important to ensure that those who are truly homeless are offered assistance.
Shelter and Crisis, charities that aid the homeless, stated that they were not included in discussions about Braverman’s proposed actions.
Source: theguardian.com
