Benefit sanctions force homeless to ‘beg, borrow and steal’
The withdrawal of benefits has resulted in people losing their homes, relying on food banks and resorting to survival crimes, according to new research by Crisis.
In a recent report titled ‘Homeless people’s experiences of welfare conditionality and benefit sanctions’ the national charity explored the impact of benefit sanctions on the most vulnerable in society.
The report is based on a survey of 1013 people from homeless hostels and day centres across 21 cities. The study made use of research from Sheffield Hallam University.
It found that sanctions had a series of ‘unintended’ impacts on respondents’ lives, including debt, hunger, strained relationships, and mental and physical health problems.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith said the report