From the ages of 13 to 16 I slept rough, mostly in the doorway of the Piccadilly Theatre. My story is not one that ordinarily leads to the streets. It can happen to anyone.
The former home secretary Suella Braverman said homelessness is a “lifestyle choice” and last year introduced a bill in which begging, “nuisance” rough sleeping and even smelling bad would be criminalised. Those caught would face fines of up to £2,500 or imprisonment. That legislation, the Criminal Justice Bill, is going through parliament now and facing fierce opposition, even among her own party.
Braverman’s statement implies that people choose not to work and therefore choose homelessness. Yet in 2022 homelessness among workers in England rose 22 per cent compared with two years
