SHOCKING levels of violence and abuse are being faced by homeless people, a new survey finds.

Rough sleepers are frequently attacked, urinated on, verbally abused and have bricks and beer cans thrown at them, according to homelessness charity Crisis.

The charity spoke to 156 people in late summer who had rough sleeping experience within the last two years.

It found that 90 per cent of them had experienced some form of violence or abuse and 51 per cent  had been physically attacked.

Three-quarters cruelly had items stolen, while 72 per cent had suffered verbal abuse or harassment.

More than half (53 per cent) had something thrown at them, examples given included bricks and beer cans. 

More than a quarter had been racially abused, harassed or attacked (27 per cent), while almost a fifth (18 per cent) had been urinated on.

Nine of those who responded said they had been sexually assaulted.

Official figures published by the government showed that there were estimated to be 3,069 people sleeping rough in autumn 2022.

Crisis chief executive Matt Downie said: “Far too many people are living in fear and being subjected to abuse and harassment simply because they do not have a home.

“It was only three years ago during the pandemic that we made tremendous efforts to bring people off the streets.

“Now, with cost-of-living pressures acute and rents still unaffordable for so many of us, we are seeing ever-increasing numbers of people being pushed into homelessness, many ending up sleeping rough.”