Many of us were shocked when Simon Dudley, the leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council, called for the police to use legal powers to remove homeless people from the streets before the royal wedding in May. But it was not the first such inappropriate response to the rising levels of rough sleepers.
In some cases, removing people from the streets has been achieved through the misuse of powers such as public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) and criminal behaviour orders (CBOs).
Councils such as Oxford, Stoke-on-Trent, and Hackney in London are among those that have been criticised over the last few years for using their powers incorrectly to penalise rough sleepers. Using these powers to remove homeless people from the streets is wrong because homelessness is a structural issue, not an “exploitation of residents and … tourists”, as Dudley describes it.
The statistics clearly show this. The number of households living in temporary accommodation has risen by 60% and rough sleeping by 134% since 2010, exacerbated by policy changes and cuts to funding for services.
A report released by the National Audit Office in September 2017 is clear about the impact of welfare reform on homelessness. Policies such as the freezing and capping of the local housing allowance and the introduction of universal redit have a huge impact on homelessness, and this urgently needs reviewing.
Criminalising vulnerable people who are homeless or sleeping rough does nothing to tackle the root causes of the problem, and orders such as PSPOs and CBOs have sometimes prevented people from accessing vital services that could help their recovery by banning them from certain geographical areas.
It is also worth noting that, while begging is classed as antisocial, rough sleeping and begging do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. Research indicates that while eight in 10 people who experience homelessness and complex needs have slept rough, three in 10 have engaged in street begging. We know from our work at Homeless Link that some people who beg have somewhere to sleep, and that these people need a different kind of help that gets to the root causes of their behaviour.
Homeless Link has always advocated for a multi-agency partnership working approach to ensure that those sleeping rough get the support they need. It’s why we gather evidence and share examples of best practice in supporting people experiencing homelessness. Local councils, police, homelessness services and charities should work together to find long-term strategies and solutions such as personal support plans, assistance into employment and increased availability of low-cost housing.
In a welcome move in December, the Home Office updated its guidance around the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. It now specifically states that PSPOs should not be used to target people simply for being homeless or for rough sleeping “as this in itself is unlikely to mean that such behaviour is having an unreasonably detrimental effect on the community’s quality of life”. Importantly, it advises that councils should consider measures that tackle the fundamental drivers of the behaviour.
We urge Windsor and Maidenhead council to heed this advice as it prepares for the royal wedding – as we do all other councils, the police and homelessness and related organisations across the country. Dealing with the underlying causes of homelessness is the most effective course of action, it just might take a little longer than the four months until May.
Rick Henderson is the chief executive of Homeless Link, the national membership charity for frontline homelessness and supported housing organisations
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