The issue of homelessness is a tricky one to address. There isn’t only one cause that lands someone on the streets, and there definitely isn’t only one solution to getting them off the streets. Homelessness has been on the rise in England, with 112,070 being declared homeless in 2013 (an increase of 26% in only four years). In the country’s capital, things are looking even gloomier with the number of rough sleepers increasing by 61% in three years.
However, almost as worrying as the rise in homelessness figures is the ever increasing attempt by many city authorities to make homeless people vanish completely from urban areas. Earlier this year in June, supermarket Tesco faced a flurry of backlash when they introduced “anti-homeless spikes” outside their Regents Street that were designed to prevent homeless people from sleeping in the area outside their store. Similar metal spikes were put into place outside a London apartment block on Southwark Bridge Road, which led to the circulating of a Change.org petition calling for their removal. The petition gained 130,000 signatures before the spikes were removed.
Harriet Wells, who started the Change.org petition against the anti-homeless spikes in London, said:
“We should be looking after our vulnerable population not ostracising them by moving them to places that are less intrusive to our lives, so that they are out of sight. Humans deserve to be treated like humans regardless of their social situation.”
Others also took to Twitter to express their horror at what they had seen:
Anti homeless floor studs. So much for community spirit 🙁 pic.twitter.com/Yz8VF7Ryid
— Ethical Pioneer (@ethicalpioneer) June 6, 2014
These Anti homeless studs are like the spikes they use to keep pigeons off buildings. The destitute now considered vermin.
— David Wells (@dagwells) June 7, 2014
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the campaign against the homeless.
This week, Cardiff University introduced the concept of “anti-homeless cages” on their campus when they built a stainless steel cage around hot air vents to deter homeless people from sleeping next to them. The cages were spotted by journalism student Lewis Hopkins, who wrote a blog expressing his disgust at his university’s actions.
“I had noticed the winter before that these vents bellowed a comforting pocket of warm air, which from time to time was occupied by the homeless. They never caused any trouble, never littered nor gathered in groups. They were just content with finding a warm place to sleep at night.”
The cage installed by Cardiff University
While Cardiff University has said that the cages have been put in place for health and safety reasons, including the safety of rough sleepers who choose to sleep near the vents. However, as Cardiff student Lewis Hopkins rightly points out… ” surely allowing a homeless person to occasionally have a warm night’s sleep is more beneficial for their health than having them out in the bitter cold.”
This move by Cardiff University has once against cast a spotlight on the way our communities view those who have been made homeless. Rather than treating them as a part of our community, and as a population of our community that is vulnerable and needs our help to integrate them back into our society, we treat them as a foreign disease we have contracted and are afraid to let other people know about our infection.
While the United Kingdom continues in a downhill direction in regards to the treatment of homelessness, countries like Canada have been quick to figure out exactly how to handle the issue. Going in the complete opposite direction, Vancouver designed benches that fold out to transform into beds for the homeless at night. Perhaps it’s time the UK start looking towards other countries for inspiration on how to better our communities.
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