Tell the government: don't criminalise homelessness by the back door
No one should be criminalised for being homeless or destitute.
The government wants to replace the Vagrancy Act with new laws that would give the police new powers to criminalise begging and rough sleeping. This approach risks criminalising homelessness by the back door.
We must not replace one harmful piece of legislation with another that targets people experiencing homelessness and destitution.
The government's proposals are too focused on criminalisation, could be open to abuse and could still lead to people on the streets being punished instead of given the help they need.
There are already laws in place that the police can use to tackle aggressive or anti-social behaviour. New legislation is simply not needed.
The government should instead focus on working with other agencies and organisations to offer the support people need to overcome their homelessness. The threat of criminalisation should never be the first response.
If we come together, we can make the government drop these proposals – but we only have a short amount of time. Are you in?
Sign the petition to make sure that the government doesn’t criminalise homelessness by the back door.
