I came across this story today on Facebook:
Metal studs have been installed outside a block of flats in central London to deter rough sleepers.
The installation of the studs outside the flats on Southwark Bridge Road provoked widespread condemnation on Twitter with users claiming homeless people were being treated like vermin because similar metal spikes are used to deter pigeons.
Residents told the Telegraph that the studs were installed outside the flats in the last month to prevent homeless people from sleeping in the doorway.
The story comes on the heels of others in which cities are banning the feeding of the homeless and otherwise cracking down on the movements of homeless individuals.
I understand the desire to protect one’s neighborhood — it’s only natural. But these efforts will only chase the homeless from neighborhood to neighborhood.
And while many of these cities are also creating plans designed to move people from the streets and into housing, the aggressive anti-homeless measures may backfire by making it less likely that homeless men and women will seek help from officials in an environment that views them as nuisances.
We need more low-cost housing, better support services and better pay for so-called low-wage jobs. More broadly, we need to rethink the way our economy values people, especially those who seem to have little to contribute.
Hank Kalet 