The government’s antisocial behaviour action plan risks exacerbating the homelessness crisis

Since 1824, the Vagrancy Act has made it a criminal offence to sleep rough or beg in England or Wales, giving the police powers of enforcement to arrest or move people on. For nearly 200 years this antiquated law has led to the criminalisation of vulnerable people. But, after years of tireless campaigning by homelessness charities, the government finally committed to repealing the act in February 2022.1This landmark repeal was highly welcomed as it was seemingly done with the understanding that the best course of action is to support people sleeping rough to access safe housing and improve their health and wellbeing. Failing to provide support has severe consequences: the average age at death of a man experiencing homelessness is just 45 years.The government’s new antisocial behaviour action plan, however, might cause this victory to be short lived.2 The proposals “introduce powers for the police and local authorities to address…
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