Paul Hillary sits outside of a shop on the busiest street of Newcastle – Northumberland Street. He sits with his legs tucked in a sleeping bag, vaguely watching the world pass by him in a rush of busy shoppers. He occasionally asks someone walking nearby: "Have you got any spare change?" But the question is barely necessary. A small pot lies beside him collecting the change of good natured passers by, which tells everyone why he is sitting there. He is begging.
Several hundred meters away, in a shaded spot outside of Fenwick's department store opposite Grey's Monument, stands Earl Charlton. He waves off a lady who has just bought one of his magazines with a cheery “have a nice day madam.” Again, it is easy to tell why he is there. Big Issue sellers are familiar in most city centres, distinguishable by their red jacket and usually holding a pile of magazines to sell.
Many people might put Paul and Earl in the same category. Both are asking those passing for money, after all. But while Paul admits to constantly being told to move on by police, Earl, who has put homelessness and begging behind him, can now work for his money without being considered a nuisance by police.
Newcastle Council is currently cracking down on begging in the city centre. The 'No Need to Beg’ campaign started at the end of last year, which claims that many beggars are not homeless and use the money to fuel drug and alcohol addictions. Police banning beggars from the city centre has accompanied this and, because begging is a crime under the Vagrancy Act, they will occasionally arrest them.
In a bid to discover how many people arrested for begging were classed as homeless, a Freedom of Information request was sent to Northumbria Police. It revealed that in 2015, 11 people were arrested, five of whom were homeless. The figures for the past four years can be seen below.
It is possible however, that police are more likely to arrest those who they know not to be homeless. When asked about this, a spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: "We work very closely with Newcastle City Council to ensure people who are genuinely homeless or are in need are offered the necessary support. Taking enforcement action is a last resort, and individuals will have been offered support by other agencies, such as Changing Lives. However where the behaviour persists and becomes aggressive and intimidating we will address this."
But critics claim that putting a ban on begging does not deal with the root of the problem. Paul claims he has been banned from the city centre for up to two days at a time for begging, but continues to return as he says: "Where else am I going to go?"
He added: "No matter what you do you're breaking the law. It’s better to break the law by begging than to be so hungry you end up shoplifting, which is what we end up doing if we can’t get money for food. When they ban people from the city centre they need to realise we’re humans too."
Earl agrees with this, but is also conflicted with his views. He said: "From what I know from when I used to beg, I'd say about 90 per cent of people I knew were doing it to feed an addiction. But it’s hard because if they don’t they’ll just steal. On the other side it can make people lazy and doesn’t help in the long run – it’s giving them a hand out not a hand up."
Earl, who is from South Shields, was not an exception to this. After leaving prison in Bristol in 2000, he went to live in London with a friend, but soon became homeless and resorted to begging to feed his heroin addiction. He explained that it was not until he became involved with the Big Issue that he decided to turn his life around and put an end to his daily cycle of begging and drugs – 14 years after originally going to London.
He said: “It was the best thing to ever happen to me. I started selling the Big Issue down in London then when I was in a better place I decided I wanted to be reunited with my family in South Shields so the Big Issue Foundation helped me with the costs of the train fare home and got me started up selling the magazine in Newcastle.”
He proudly shows off some photographs he keeps in his bag, capturing him and his family on the day he finally came home – it is clear that he is proud of turning his life around.
"The Big Issue Foundation helped me massively," he said. “But it was also me – you have to be willing to make that change.”
This change is arguably easier said than done. A spokesman for Fullfilling Lives, a charity set up to deal with those with multiple and complex needs, said that it is common for someone who is homeless to have mental health problems, and also be dependent on drugs and alcohol. Research undertaken by Homeless Link in 2014 also shows that 80 per cent of homeless respondents reported a mental health problem.
Paul admits that living on the streets can affect your mental health.
He said: “My mental health has got so much worse since sleeping rough. I think part of it is the fact that you always sleep with one eye open."
Rachael Hope, Community Safety Specialist at Safe Newcastle, who set up the No Need to Beg campaign, said: “We have had a process set up in Newcastle to support individuals facing multiple exclusion in Newcastle for some time now. For those individuals with complex needs who are begging, then this forum would be used to discuss and review their care rather than solely focusing on enforcement approaches. However criminal justice agencies are a core part of the group and we work very closely with them.”
As Earl’s story shows, the Big Issue is one example of a way those who are homeless can earn money legally while also helping them improve their situation. But having been in the position of Paul and many others who beg for money, he understands their plight more than anyone. He said: “I’ve been there myself and I believe that when they get moved on by police, it’s only moving the problem, not getting rid of it.”
Those who are begging can be some of the most vulnerable in society, suffering from complex needs such as mental health and drug and alcohol dependency. For these people, begging may seem like a necessity to survive and 'no need to beg' might sound an unlikely term. But for people wanting to help, giving money could potentially lead to longer term problems, accelerating someone's substance addiction.
