A round-up of the key Crisis campaign wins from 2022
We know that if we stand together, real change to end homelessness is possible. And this year, we’ve proved it.
People like you have helped us secure some important campaign wins that will make a huge difference to the lives of people at risk of or experiencing homelessness and help to stop people being forced into homelessness in the first place.
Read about our campaign victories of 2022.
The Vagrancy Act: repealed
Since 1824, the Vagrancy Act has made it a crime just to sleep rough or beg in England and Wales. People sleeping rough could face police action and a fine of up to £1,000.
We’ve campaigned to repeal the Vagrancy since the 1990s, but in 2022 thanks to you, we finally did it!
In February 2022, after thousands of Crisis supporters contacted their MP, emailed Government ministers, and shared the campaign online, MPs voted to repeal the Act. This means that, for the first time in nearly 200 years, sleeping rough will no longer be a crime in England and Wales.
This shows just how powerful we can be when we work together.
Karl was criminalised under the Act and he spoke in parliament about his experience as part of our campaign. He reflects on the victory in this video.
Despite the huge support for repealing the Act, the government could still replace the Vagrancy Act with new laws that would give the police new powers to criminalise begging.
This risks criminalising homelessness by the back door and could push those on the streets further away from the help they need.
We’re standing against these proposals. If you are with us, sign our petition.
MPs back the Bill to regulate rogue landlords
In November, MPs backed a landmark Bill, supported by Crisis, that will stop rogue landlords exploiting people who need housing and support to leave homelessness behind. This is a big campaign win.
If it becomes law, the Bill will stop these rogue landlords from profiteering off the back of people at risk of homelessness and leaving them to live in sub-standard housing without the support that they were promised.
This is a big campaign success, and followed months of pressure from Crisis supporters who have backed our Regulate the Rogues campaign.
More than 5,000 of you signed our open letter to the Secretary of State, written by Wayne and Ian, two Crisis members who have experienced shocking conditions in exempt accommodation.
The Bill still has to clear several parliamentary hurdles before it becomes law, but this vote brings us one step closer to kicking out these rogue landlords for good.
Funding for EU nationals facing homelessness
EU citizens are three times more likely to experience homelessness in England, but many struggle to access support due to rules limiting who can get help.
We've been calling on the Government in Westminster to fund jobs and housing support for EU citizens who are facing homelessness and who experience barriers to accessing support.
Many of you emailed the leader of your local council on this issue. At least nine of the councils we targeted for the campaign because of the high level of non-UK nationals sleeping rough in their area applied for funding to support this group of people.
The importance of supporting non-UK national rough sleepers was also recognised in the Government’s updated rough sleeping strategy in September 2022.
Housing First pilots' future secured
Housing First is proven to help people out of homelessness. It gives people a secure, permanent home first and then personal, unconditional support for as long as needed.
Our Home For All campaign called for a national roll-out of Housing First and more funding for the successful pilot schemes already operating in England.
In the 2021 Autumn Statement, thanks to thousands of you signing our open letter, the then Chancellor Rishi Sunak allocated £639 million for projects to help end homelessness – but left the future of the Housing First pilots uncertain.
In September this year, the pilots finally had their funding confirmed for a further two years - a lifeline for more than a thousand people that have been successfully housed through Housing First schemes.
Here’s Crisis member Chris speaking about how Housing First turned his life around.
A step forward on health
Too often, people fall through the gaps in our healthcare system. People who are homeless can often struggle to access these services. Some even experience stigmatising attitudes when they do seek help.
This year, we lobbied for an amendment to the Health and Care Bill to make sure that the health system in England addresses the poor health outcomes experienced by so many people who are experiencing homelessness.
The amendment wasn’t successful, but our lobbying did ensure that guidance on how to improve health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness is included with the Bill.
This means that NHS bodies should now be identifying where there are gaps in their understanding on homeless health and how they might meet the health needs of people experiencing homelessness.
Get involved
Want to get involved in our campaigns to end homelessness? Sign up to receive the latest campaign news and action emails, straight to your inbox.