The health secretary insists the government “will not criminalize homelessness” after a backlash against proposed new laws.
Ministers are seeking to replace the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act, which dates from 1824 and makes rough sleeping illegal, with a new Criminal Justice Bill which the government says will target “nuisance begging”.
But the definition of “nuisance” has caused an uproar among activists and MPs – including up to 40 Conservative MPswho threatened to rebel against the plan – because it included those sleeping in doorways, those producing “excessive odors”, or some who “looked like they intended to sleep in the street”.
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A total of 37 housing and homelessness charities wrote to Home Secretary James Cleverly today, warning that the legislation “could stigmatize people forced to sleep rough and alienate them from help” ” and homeless women are “punished for seeking safety locally.” Well-lit doorways”.
The proposals include fines of up to £2,500 and jail terms for homeless people who could be convicted of offences.
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Asked by Kay Burley on Sky News about the controversial definitions, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the government “wanted to help the most vulnerable in society” and put 24 billion to eliminate rough sleeping.
She added: “We have been very, very clear. We target criminal gangs who make a living by terrorizing others.
“For example, we want to deter some of the aggressive begging behavior that can occur around cash points.
“But we are not and will not be criminalizing homelessness. Absolutely not. That’s not the purpose of this bill.”
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Asked whether the wording of the definition would change, Ms Atkins did not answer directly.
Instead, she said: “We are absolutely not going to criminalize people who are… sleeping rough because they are homeless.
“What we want to do is support them into supported accommodation because a lot of people who are struggling have complex needs… and they need mental health support.
“They may have been victims of horrific adverse childhood experiences at the time.
“There is a real vulnerability here that we want to support. This is not about criminalizing homelessness.”
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But Matt Downey, chief executive of Crisis Group, one of the charities that signed the letter to the home secretary, issued a warning to ministers seeking to push forward the bill.
He said: “The Government has set out a moral obligation to end rough sleeping, but these new measures will make it harder to do so.”
“They punish people who have nowhere to go and push them further away from support.
“If we focus on solutions that work – building safe and stable social housing and investing in expert support to help people keep their homes – we can put an end to hard sleep.
“But the first and easiest thing the Home Secretary can do is listen to the concerns of these experienced organizations and remove these cruel and counterproductive measures.”
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The latest government research into homelessness found that 3,898 people were sleeping rough overnight across England, a 27% increase on the previous year.
It is estimated that more than 242,000 families in England are experiencing some form of homelessness, including couchsurfing, being trapped in temporary accommodation and sleeping rough.
Crisis research also shows that nine in 10 people sleeping rough have been victims of violence or abuse.
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