Big Issue founder: Begging is bad

More should be done to find suitable accommodation, Bird says

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LONDON, England -- The founder of a UK magazine aimed at supporting the homeless has said people should not give money to beggars.

John Bird, who was on the streets himself for several years, said giving money to beggars was the "soft and damaging option."

Instead, more should be done to find suitable accommodation, he said.

The comments came in a pamphlet published by rightwing thinktank Politeia.

He was quoted in the British press as saying: "Why do schemes to help the homeless invariably flop, leaving them in the cold outdoors?...The homeless remain out of doors because they are allowed to remain there."

Anti-begging and anti-vagrancy laws were failing because there was no suitable alternative place for the homeless to go.

"We cannot enforce the laws unless we make sure there is provision in place, an alternative to begging and street living ... At the moment there is not enough suitable accommodation," he added.

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