Homelessness Is a Safeguarding Issue, Not a Crime
For over 200 years, rough sleeping and begging were treated as criminal offences under the Vagrancy Act 1824.
This week, that changed. The Government has officially repealed the Vagrancy Act, signalling a significant shift in how homelessness will be approached in England and Wales. Rather than criminalising people experiencing homelessness, the focus is now on tackling the root causes and providing meaningful support to help people rebuild their lives.
As safeguarding professionals, this feels like an important moment because homelessness has never simply been about housing, it has always been about people.
Looking Beyond What We See
When we see someone sleeping rough, it's easy to focus on what is immediately in front of us but safeguarding asks us to look deeper.
What has happened to this person?
What trauma have they experienced?
What risks are they facing today?
Homelessness is rarely an isolated issue. It is often the visible outcome of multiple, overlapping vulnerabilities including domestic abuse, childhood trauma, mental ill health, substance misuse, financial hardship, care experience, exploitation, family breakdown, or involvement with the criminal justice system.
By the time someone is sleeping on the streets, there have often been numerous missed opportunities for earlier intervention.
Domestic Abuse and Homelessness Are Closely Linked
One of the most significant drivers of homelessness, particularly for women, is domestic abuse. Research from the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire 2025 found that almost 70% of women who experienced rough sleeping in the past year had experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16.
That statistic is both shocking and heartbreaking. For many survivors, leaving an abusive relationship can mean leaving behind their home, financial security and support networks. Escaping abuse should never result in someone becoming homeless, yet for many women it remains an unfortunate reality.
The Government has committed to halving violence against women and girls within the next decade, recognising that preventing homelessness amongst survivors is a vital part of achieving that ambition. This reinforces something safeguarding professionals have known for many years. Housing is safeguarding. A safe place to live is often the first step towards recovery.
Why Homelessness Is a Safeguarding Concern
People experiencing homelessness are at significantly increased risk of abuse and neglect.
They may be at risk from:
Domestic abuse
Sexual exploitation
Criminal exploitation and county lines
Modern slavery and trafficking
Mate crime
Financial abuse
Hate crime
Cuckooing
Self-neglect
Mental ill health and suicide
Substance misuse
Many adults experiencing homelessness will meet the safeguarding criteria under the Care Act 2014, while children affected by homelessness require consideration under the Children Act 1989 and Working Together to Safeguard Children. Homelessness should never be viewed solely as a housing issue, it is a safeguarding issue.
The Hidden Safeguarding Risks of Homelessness
When we think about homelessness, it's easy to focus on the visible issue, the lack of somewhere safe to live, however, as safeguarding professionals, we know that what we can see is often only a small part of the picture. Homelessness frequently sits at the intersection of trauma, inequality, poor health and exploitation. Many individuals experiencing homelessness have survived significant adversity throughout their lives, and their current circumstances may reflect years of unmet need rather than a single life event.
Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Research consistently shows that people experiencing homelessness are more likely to have experienced adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, domestic abuse within the home, parental substance misuse, family breakdown or exposure to violence. These early experiences can have a profound impact on emotional wellbeing, relationships, education, employment and physical health throughout adulthood. Trauma changes the way people respond to stress, trust professionals and engage with services. Understanding this is essential if safeguarding responses are to be effective.
A trauma-informed approach asks not, "What's wrong with this person?" but rather, "What has happened to them?"
Self-Neglect and Executive Functioning
Many people experiencing homelessness may also struggle with executive functioning, the cognitive skills that help us plan, organise, prioritise, make decisions and manage everyday tasks. Executive functioning can be significantly affected by trauma, brain injury, substance dependence, mental ill health or neurodiversity. Professionals may wrongly interpret missed appointments, poor engagement or difficulties following advice as a lack of motivation, when in reality these behaviours may reflect underlying cognitive challenges or overwhelming life circumstances.
Similarly, self-neglect is one of the most common safeguarding concerns encountered amongst adults experiencing homelessness.
Poor nutrition, untreated medical conditions, deteriorating mental health, inadequate personal care and refusal or inability to access support should never be viewed simply as "lifestyle choices." They may indicate that someone is unable to protect themselves from significant harm and may require safeguarding intervention under the Care Act 2014.
Increased Risk of Exploitation
Without safe accommodation, individuals become significantly more at risk to exploitation.
This may include:
Criminal exploitation, including county lines activity
Modern slavery and human trafficking
Sexual exploitation
Cuckooing, where organised criminals take over an at risk person's accommodation
Financial abuse
Mate crime
Coercive and controlling relationships.
For many people, homelessness increases dependency on others, making it easier for perpetrators to manipulate, coerce or exploit them. Professional curiosity is therefore essential.
Rough Sleeping and Mortality
Perhaps one of the starkest reminders that homelessness is a safeguarding issue is the increased risk to life itself. People sleeping rough experience significantly poorer physical and mental health than the wider population and face increased risks from violence, suicide, substance-related harm, untreated illness, severe weather and accidental injury.
Homelessness Is Everybody's Business
Too often, homelessness is viewed solely as a housing issue. In reality, it requires a coordinated safeguarding response involving housing providers, adult social care, children's services, healthcare, police, probation, education, charities, community organisations and the wider voluntary sector.
No single organisation can address homelessness alone. By working together, sharing information appropriately and maintaining professional curiosity, we are far more likely to identify hidden risks, intervene earlier and improve outcomes for those experiencing some of the most complex vulnerabilities in our communities.
Safeguarding does not begin when someone enters a statutory service.
It begins the moment we recognise risk and choose to respond with compassion, curiosity and action.
Investment Is Welcome – But Prevention Matters Too
Alongside the repeal of the Vagrancy Act, the Government has announced encouraging progress in affordable housing delivery.
During 2025–26:
42,499 affordable housing starts were delivered through Homes England and the Greater London Authority, an increase of 26% compared with the previous year.
43,104 affordable homes were completed, representing an 8% increase.
The Affordable Homes Programme has exceeded its lower public target, with 117,947 housing starts already confirmed.
These investments are encouraging because stable housing provides one of the strongest protective factors against abuse, exploitation and further harm.
But bricks and mortar alone cannot solve homelessness.
Prevention requires partnership working, trauma-informed practice and professionals who understand safeguarding.
Professional Curiosity Can Change Lives
Every professional may encounter someone who is homeless or at risk of homelessness. Whether you work in healthcare, education, hospitality, housing, retail, transport, security, local government, charities or the voluntary sector, your response matters.
Ask yourself:
Is this person safe?
Could they be experiencing abuse?
Are they being exploited?
Do they require safeguarding support?
Have I considered what has happened to them rather than what is happening?
Professional curiosity remains one of the most powerful safeguarding tools we have.
How RLB Safeguarding Can Help
At RLB, we believe safeguarding extends far beyond statutory services.
We provide safeguarding training for housing providers, charities, healthcare organisations, local authorities, education, hospitality, transport, commercial organisations and community services.
Our training helps professionals:
Recognise hidden risks
Understand trauma-informed practice
Identify domestic abuse and exploitation
Respond confidently to adults at risk
Develop professional curiosity
Strengthen partnership working
Create safer communities.
The repeal of the Vagrancy Act reminds us that safeguarding begins with seeing the person, not the problem because homelessness is rarely the start of someone's story. More often, it is the consequence of many missed opportunities to intervene.
By recognising homelessness as a safeguarding issue, we have the opportunity to change outcomes, not simply manage crises.
Safeguarding people of all ages, in all places.