London City Mission (LCM) has highlighted the church’s role in providing community and support as it warns homelessness remains a huge issue despite decriminalisation.
Dan Burrows, Ministry Lead at the Webber Street Centre – an LCM day centre for people who are homeless – told en: “The local church is uniquely positioned to provide something many people experiencing homelessness desperately need: genuine community, lasting relationships and a place where they are known and welcomed.”
Burrows’ comments come after the UK Government repealed the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act, with the repeal coming into legal effect this June, meaning rough sleeping is no longer a criminal offence. “However, with nearly 13,000 people recorded sleeping rough last year, the need to help has by no means disappeared,” LCM said. “The challenge now is to ensure that they are no longer sleeping rough at all.”
