Answers to frequently asked questions on begging
"Don't be mean, you heard the man. How can you deny him a few pence for a cup of tea?"
Overwhelming evidence shows that people who beg on the street do so in order to buy hard drugs, particularly crack cocaine and heroin. These drugs are highly addictive and eventually lead to extreme deterioration in health and even death.
Drug testing of people arrested for begging in Westminster in 2005 showed that 7 in 10 people tested positive for Class A drugs (crack cocaine or heroin). In a similar exercise carried out in Camden, 80 per cent tested positive for Class A drugs.
The evidence that the overwhelming majority of people begging on the streets of central London spend their begging money on crack cocaine and heroin is indisputable.
"Alright, but what about this chap? He's just a few pounds short of what he needs to book into a hostel tonight."
The majority of hostel accommodation in London does not require payment in order to 'book in'. Hostel rent is covered through Housing Benefit, which hostel workers can help the new resident to claim once they have moved into the hostel.
There are around 3,000 bed-spaces of hostel accommodation in London, which can be accessed via the street outreach teams that work in the central London boroughs. London Street Rescue, run by Thames Reach, is one of the main providers of outreach services across London. Our teams not only help people to find accommodation but also get them into drug and alcohol treatment mental health programmes. Outreach teams are active at night, and often during the day, seven days a week.
Only 40 per cent of people arrested for begging in Westminster in 2005 claimed to be homeless. Most people begging have accommodation of sorts, either a hostel place or a flat or bed-sit.
Most people who beg have accommodation. Outreach workers can help those who don't to access a hostel bed.
"Maybe, but there's surely no harm in giving a few pence."
Giving to people who beg is not a benign act without consequences. As an organisation that has worked with people on the street for over twenty years, we have seen many lives damaged by hard drugs and alcohol misuse. We have even lost people through overdoses in situations where a significant portion of the money they spent on drugs came from members of the public giving loose change.
By all means, engage with people on the street. Perhaps buy them food or a cup of tea. Best of all, if you are concerned for them because you think they are sleeping rough, contact London Street Rescue.
Giving to people who beg is not a benign act. It can have fatal consequences.
"Come on, these are just people a bit down on their luck"
Most people begging are not individuals in temporary difficulties, but people who are dependent on a begging income. This is almost certainly to fund a serious drug habit.
There are many people on the streets needing help and support. Our London Street Rescue service is out every night, in search of the isolated rough sleepers who are missed by other services, helping them into accommodation and to find a way out of homelessness.
Many people asking for your money are serial beggars. There are many services seeking to help people sleeping rough. Please work with them, not against them.
"I'm half convinced, but surely if you don't give to people who beg then they will only turn to crime to fund their drug or alcohol addiction."
It is something of a counsel of despair to think that we would give our loose change to people begging to stop them committing crime. Besides, the evidence does not bear out this proposition.
In 2003, police in Westminster and Camden made numerous arrests for begging, leading to the dispersal of regular beggars and an overall reduction in the number of people begging on the street. The police analysis that followed 'showed no displacement into crime by beggars moving off the street. The crime figures for Camden are down and Westminster's remain the same'.
For hostel residents who persist in begging, a reduction in the income supplied through begging can be the catalyst that leads them to spend more time working with staff and thinking about the future. This makes it easier for them to to move on to more long-term accommodation or appropriate treatment, and away from the street.
There is no evidence that reducing begging leads to more crime. In fact, it can stimulate people to address their real needs, instead of avoiding facing them.
"Isn't this just about the councils wanting cleaner neighbourhoods?"
Thames Reach's primary concern is that people with serious drug and alcohol problems are gravely damaging their health and even putting their lives at risk using money raised through begging. However, we are also aware that local communities are justifiably concerned at the impact of begging on their neighbourhoods.
Research commissioned by the Home Office found that 54 per cent of the public choose not to use a cash point if there is someone begging next to it. These are reasonable fears that individual members of the public experience. As a responsible organisation working with and in local communities, we seek to understand and address these concerns.
Working with communities to address concerns about begging and its impact is a responsibility that we at Thames Reach take very seriously.
"OK, you may have some valid points, but aren't you demonising all homeless people as feckless beggars and drug addicts?"
The main point we want to make is that the link is primarily between begging and the misuse of hard drugs, not between homelessness and begging or homelessness and drug misuse.
Most people sleeping rough do not beg and most people begging do not sleep rough. Although there are many rough sleepers with serious drug problems (we estimate that 40 per cent of the rough sleepers we help have a drug problem), the majority have not. Our overriding concern is to save lives. Every year there is at least one drug or drink-related death amongst the homeless population on the street. We want to help people to get off the street and into decent accommodation where they can get the care and support they need. To do this we need the backing of the public.
The link is between begging and drug misuse, not homelessness and begging, nor even homelessness and drugs.
"OK, you've convinced me, how can I help people to get off the street and away from the dealers?"
Support local homelessness charities that are working with people in need. The best way of finding out about your local homelessness services is through Homeless London. Alternatively, you can donate directly to Thames Reach.
Finally, we are not asking you to just 'walk on by'. By all means engage street homeless people in conversation, even buy them a cup of tea or food. But please don't give them money. We have seen too many people die from overdoses on the street. Your kindness could kill.
There are plenty of ways of ensuring that your money is spent on finding real solutions to homelessness and drug and alcohol addiction. Help Thames Reach to end street homelessness.
