"A decent provision for the poor,” said Samuel Johnson, “is the true test of civilisation.” That’s an uncomfortable reflection when you walk through Britain’s cities. In wealthier regions especially – and London above all – it’s become steadily more common to see a tent outside a railway station, or a series of sleeping bags on a high street.
Statistics confirm that impression. The most recent government figures suggest rough sleeping has risen for seven years running, to 4,751 in 2017. (London accounts for a little under a quarter.) But that figure, based on local authorities’ estimates, is probably lower than the real figure – and it only includes those actually sleeping in doorways, parks, barns and so on. On a broad definition of homelessness, used by Shelter, the number is conservatively put at 320,000.
