The Home Secretary's plans to penalise homelessness are cruel

She's also described homelessness as a 'lifestyle choice' and could be planning to fine charities for providing tents to those who need them.

If this makes you angry, you're not alone. We're angry too.

Punishing people for being homeless is cruel. Preventing charities from giving them a tent is dangerous.

We'll continue providing tents as a humanitarian response to those unfortunate enough to be sleeping on the streets as winter approaches. Funding cuts are making this work more difficult, but with your help we can reach them.

We must also challenge the outdated idea that homelessness is 'a lifestyle choice'. The reasons people become homeless are rarely straightforward, but poverty is an underlying factor. Here’s how you can combat this dangerous stereotype.

And we must counter the Home Secretary’s comments about ‘rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad’. In reality, the majority of people we work with are UK residents. But we believe help should be provided to everyone who needs it, regardless of where they were born. It's why we regularly work with partner charities that support non-UK residents.

Thank you to everyone who has spoken out against the Home Secretary's plans. You're giving a voice to people who don't have one. Let's keep fighting for them.

(You can find out more about the Home Secretary’s plans here.)

To notify local outreach teams of someone who is rough sleeping visit StreetLink

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