Criminalizing homelessness is increasingly becoming a global response to rough sleeping. Discover why this approach is harmful—and how we can advocate for compassionate, human-centered solutions to challenge the damaging international narrative.

The cold, hard streets are quickly becoming a place of residence for far too many people worldwide. In the UK, unsheltered homelessness, a type of homelessness wherein people sleep outside or in places deemed unfit for human habitation, has reached record highs across the region, demonstrating the need for human-centered solutions.

The Big Issue reports that the UK currently has the highest rate of homelessness in the region commonly referred to as the “developed world.” This moniker is attributed to the 40 countries with the most advanced technological infrastructure, and it is also associated with high per capita income levels and comparatively longer life expectancy rates.

“Shamefully, the UK tops the global league table with by far the highest rate of homelessness in the developed world with one in 200 households living in emergency temporary housing,” John Glenton of Riverside Housing Association explained.

The Growing Homelessness Crisis in the UK Necessitates Human-Centered Solutions

According to the most recent available data, it isn’t just the cramped corners of temporary accommodations that cause concern. As emergency accommodations fill to capacity, and more people enter into homelessness than are permanently ushered out of it, an increasing number of people are forced into living on the streets as well.

In England, for example, the rate of homeless people sleeping rough has risen by an alarming 27% in just one year. The problem can no longer be contained in cramped quarters or confined to the local bedsits. The affordable living crisis is, effectively and literally, spilling out onto the streets, indicating a need for human-centered solutions.

Anytime we witness a spike in the number of people seeking shelter outdoors on street corners, park benches, or in rundown vehicles, the public cries out for their local leaders to take immediate action and rectify the problem.

Read the full article about human-centered solutions to homelessness by Cynthia Griffith at Invisible People.