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The historic move permanently ends nearly two hundred years of legislation that treated rough sleeping and begging as criminal offenses, shifting the state’s approach toward homelessness from punishment to systematic prevention.

The announcement was issued jointly by Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern, marking a major legislative milestone celebrated across the UK’s human rights and charity sectors.

Originally enacted in 1824 to manage rising homelessness following the Napoleonic Wars and the Industrial Revolution, the Vagrancy Act has long faced intense criticism for penalizing individuals for poverty and lack of shelter.

By threatening vulnerable individuals with fines, moving orders, or a criminal record, the law effectively pushed homeless populations out of sight and away from public support infrastructure, complicating their efforts to rebuild stable lives.

The repeal serves as the foundational component of the government’s newly introduced National Plan to End Homelessness. Backed by £3.6 billion over the next three years, the strategy sets ambitious legislative benchmarks:

• Halving long-term rough sleeping by the end of the current Parliament.
• Ending the unlawful use of Bed & Breakfasts (B&Bs) to house displaced families by expanding the supply of quality temporary accommodation via a £950 million funding injection.
• Guaranteeing that no eligible individual is discharged straight onto the streets following a hospital stay or released directly to the pavement on their first night out of prison.

To address the critical deficit of long-term housing, the government has committed £39 billion over the next ten years toward social and affordable housing programs.

According to newly published figures, the focus on supply is showing initial results: affordable housing starts by Homes England and the Greater London Authority (GLA) reached 42,499 in the 2025–26 cycle—a 35% increase compared to 2024 baselines. Annual affordable home completions also rose by 8%, reaching 43,104 units.

The policy shift heavily relies on targeting the root socio-economic drivers of homelessness rather than treating its symptoms:

• Domestic abuse protections:
  • Data from a 2025 Rough Sleeping Questionnaire revealed that nearly 70% of women experiencing rough sleeping had survived domestic abuse since the age of 16. In response, an upcoming Social Housing Bill will introduce statutory protections to ensure that victims of domestic abuse are legally insulated from losing housing stability.
• Institutional accountability:
  • The government is establishing a long-term goal ensuring no individual is made homeless upon discharge from a public institution, utilizing a £159 million supported housing grant to clear pathways into permanent structures.
• Localised innovation:
  • A £15 million Long-Term Rough Sleeping Innovation Programme will optimise resource management across 28 regions facing the most acute long-term street pressures, while a separate £37 million community fund will support grass-roots and faith-based day services.

Government officials clarified that pulling down the Vagrancy Act does not leave local communities defenseless against crime. Aggressive or disruptive behaviour will continue to be governed under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, with statutory guidance updated to ensure these penalties are strictly triggered by hostile actions—never for the simple state of being unhoused.

Concurrently, the government maintains a strict stance on organized criminal exploitation. New provisions outlined in the Crime and Policing Act 2026 create specific offenses designed to prosecute organized begging gangs, individuals who exploit vulnerable people for financial gain, and criminal trespass.