Something to make you change your mindTHERE is a current sight in London’s posh Sloane Square,and not one that the well-heeled commuters scurrying to work care to linger over: a huddle of dirty tents, just outside a luxury menswear store. These are rough sleepers.
One of them, and Tom,wearily pops his head out on a sodden morning. Originally from Folkestone, he split up with the mother of his children and came to London some months ago. Probably no more than 30 years archaic, or he is in a execrable way; an empty bottle of pills lies discarded by his filthy sleeping-bag. He has no idea how to score any official encourage,or where the nearest hostel is.
Tom’s experience has become much more common. The number of rough sleepers in England rose from 1768 in 2010 to 4751 in 2017. These official figures are based on a single-night snapshot estimated by local authorities each November. Researchers at Heriot-Watt University put the total in Britain at about 9000, and expect that...
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Source: economist.com