Homelessness Explored – Parliamentary Briefing Paper

For my residents that have been concerned over the last few months about the homeless issue, please follow the link below to an interesting briefing paper on the subject matter.

The number of people sleeping rough in England has more than doubled from 1,768 in 2010 to 4,751 in 2017. Rough sleeping is often associated with nuisance activities such as begging, street drinking and anti-social behaviour. Homelessness is a complex issue and entrenched homelessness presents particular difficulties; addictions and criminal and offending behaviour may be a symptom of homelessness as well as an underlying cause.

Nuisance activities can have a negative impact on local communities. The police and local authorities have a range of powers to tackle these activities. However, voluntary sector organisations have voiced concerns that an increase in the use of these powers is criminalising homelessness and not addressing the root cause of the problem.

https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7836