Francesca Albanese, Executive Director of Policy and Social Change, at Crisis said: “It’s appalling to see someone sleeping rough treated so callously.

“But unfortunately, it’s not a surprise. Crisis research has found that people sleeping rough are frequently subject to abuse and unkindness. They are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence compared to the general public. 

“And the wider context is that rough sleeping is on the rise across England. Runaway rents, the rising cost of living and a dire shortage of genuinely affordable housing is leaving people unable to find and keep a home. We need more social housing and support services so that no one is forced onto the streets in the first place.

“Crisis hears all the time from people sleeping rough about how dehumanising the experience can be, leaving serious and lasting trauma. This is a compassionate country - and there needs to be an acknowledgement and understanding that people sleeping on the streets deserve, like all of us, to be treated with kindness.

“What’s more, current plans by the Westminster Government to bring in more punitive measures to address rough sleeping, through the Crime and Justice Bill, will only make things worse.”

-ENDS-

For some information on the Crime and Justice Bill and Crisis’ position, please see:https://www.crisis.org.uk/about-us/the-crisis-blog/why-the-criminal-justice-bill-presents-as-much-danger-to-people-sleeping-rough-as-taking-away-tents/