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Homeless: sanction risk doubles

December 31 2015
Sanctions have caused people to become homeless, and made things much worse for people already on the streets

Homeless people are twice as likely to be sanctioned as other benefit claimants, according to a new Crisis report.

The report is based on a survey of 1,000 people in hostels and day centres in 21 cities, plus 42 in-depth interviews.

Of those interviewed: 21 per cent reported becoming homeless as a result of sanctions; 16 per cent said they had been forced to sleep rough; 77 per cent had gone hungry or skipped meals; 75 per cent said it negatively affected their mental health; 64 per cent had gone without heating; and 60 per cent found it harder to look for work.

“Too often, the system didn’t take their circumstances or aspirations into account,” said Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, “and instead seemed to treat them with mistrust.”

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