VULNERABLE women will be punished for seeking shelter under new plans to clamp down on rough sleepers, charities charged today.
A total of 37 groups including Crisis, Shelter and Amnesty UK have written to Home Secretary James Cleverly over his new Criminal Justice Bill.
The letter cautions that the Bill, which aims to replace the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act, could push vulnerable people who need support into more dangerous environments.
“It could see women, who are disproportionately likely to suffer violence and sexual abuse on the streets, penalised for seeking shelter and safety in well-lit doorways,” the letter says.
Under the draconian legislation, rough sleepers could be issued £2,500 for carrying an “excessive smell” and those causing a “nuisance” could be sent to prison.
Crisis chief executive Matt Downie previously urged Mr Cleverly to drop “cruel and unnecessary measures and focus on the real solutions” like more social housing.
He said: “Through our front-line services we see the brutality rough sleeping inflicts on people’s lives.
“With more and more people being pushed to the brink from the increased cost of living, we need a compassionate approach, not one that threatens people with fines or imprisonment.”
More than 40 Tories are expected to rebel against the Bill, which has passed its second reading in the Commons.
Back-bench Tory MP Bob Blackman has put forward a second amendment to clarify when the police will be able to use the powers.
He told the Times that the Bill is “unacceptable” and that it is “criminalising people who have no choice but to sleep on the streets.”
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins claimed on Sky News today that the government wants to “help the most vulnerable in society” and the aim is to stop “aggressive begging.”
While the government vows to end homelessness by the end of 2024, rough sleeping increased by 27 per cent in the last year.
Official figures showed that 3,898 people were sleeping rough across England — 61 per cent higher than 10 years ago.
Homelessness is increasing among women, with 568 seen to be rough sleeping last autumn.
Often the figure is underestimated with people sleeping in hidden locations.
