Nearly 80% of homeless people have been attacked this year

Nearly 80% of people sleeping rough said they have been deliberately hit, kicked and even urinated on in random attacks this year.

This Christmas, Crisis has opened its centres and expects to provide warm beds for around 4,000 homeless people.

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In a survey, more than 400 homeless people were asked about their experiences living on the streets.

Six in 10 claimed to have been verbally abused or harassed with 10% admitted being urinated on, and 7% claiming they were sexually assaulted.
However, more than half did not report crimes to the police as they did not think anything would be done.

A homeless woman begs for change in a subway station March 12, 2003 in London. Homeless charities and human rights activists have balked at government plans to give beggars criminal records under a measure to get rid of nuisance behavior and petty crimes.

Crisis is now calling on members of the public to urge their MPs to back the Homelessness Reduction Bill, currently going through Parliament.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May vowed to put ‘prevention at the heart of tackling homelessness’ as she unveiled £20 million of funding to stop people becoming rough sleepers in London.

She also announced £10 million backing for projects aimed at helping those at ‘imminent risk’ of becoming homeless.

Crisis has urged people to contact their local MP over the Bill (Picture: Getty Images)
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: ‘Rough sleepers are far more likely to be victims of crime, including violent assault, abuse and intimidation, compared to the general public.

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‘This is a horrifying state of affairs and shows why we need to prevent people ending up in this situation in the first place.'

‘Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for homeless people. While others are enjoying the comfort of family and friends, homeless people face a daily struggle just to stay safe and escape the cold.'

‘The Homelessness Reduction Bill, currently making its way through parliament, aims to make sure people facing homelessness can get support when they need it, and we urge the public to help by calling on their MP to back this crucial bill.’