Homelessness is a Social Issue, Not a 'Lifestyle Choice'
The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, entered the headlines again this weekend for all the wrong reasons as she proposed new laws that would target those sleeping rough.
Speaking about the use of tents on streets, she said:
“The British people are compassionate. We will always support those who are genuinely homeless. But we cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice.”
Putting the legislation to one side for a moment, the idea that living on the streets is a lifestyle choice shows a clear lack of empathy and was rightly criticised by charities that support those who are living rough.
Few would deny that homelessness is a problem and that tents can present a particular nuisance. As the Home Secretary pointed out, they can lead to increased violence, drug taking and litter in city centres where shops and businesses are trying to attract custom.
However this does not mean that the solution is to simply impose a ban. Homelessness is a tricky social problem that affects a growing section of the population and trying to stop rough sleepers because you think it is a lifestyle choice is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
For a start, banning tents would expose those individuals to the elements much more and when they contract pneumonia or something much worse there would be greater pressure placed on an NHS that is already struggling due to gross underfunding.
Furthermore fining charities who give out tents is to go after the wrong target. Those organisations are simply trying to help those in need and threatening them will only discourage that aid in the future. The government should be working with the charitable sector to tackle the problem together instead of alienating those trying to lend a hand.
Of course the main problem is the housing crisis that the government is either unwilling or unable to solve. Not enough houses are being built anyway because of unhelpful regulations and red tape but this means that the amount of emergency, supported and social accommodation is falling well behind what is needed.
Since the Conservatives took power in 2010, homelessness has increased by 74% according to the government’s own figures. This is symptomatic of policies that have continuously and persistently ignored the most vulnerable in our society and left them behind. Braverman’s cruel new ideas are merely the latest iteration of this complete lack of empathy.
This week on the podcast a case about share options invites discussion about the best way to draft legislation.
Episode link: https://uklawweekly.com/2023-uksc-37/
Make a difference today,
Marcus