ROUGH SLEEPERS
Rough sleepers left ‘scared and disgusted’ after their tents were destroyed near a hospital – but there’s hope amid the rage
The frontline workers behind a viral video showing rough sleepers’ tents being destroyed in London have accused officials of “dropping the ball legally, morally and publicly”.
Grassroots outreach group Streets Kitchen’s video of tents being destroyed near the gates to University College London Hospital (UCLH) in Camden, went viral on 10 November.
The footage, which came just days after ex-home secretary Suella Braverman’s attempt to clamp down on charities supporting rough sleepers with tents, was shared more than 8,000 times on X. Big Issue’s coverage of the incident was viewed more than 1.5 million times on TikTok, our biggest ever story on the platform.
It also saw more than £10,000 donated to Streets Kitchen, which has replaced the tents and belongings of the people affected and purchased more than 50 tents to support others who need shelter on the streets.
“There was no safeguarding in place, there was no representation from homelessness services,” said Jon Glackin, Streets Kitchen founder. “There should be representation from the council to advise these people, none of that existed. They dropped the ball, legally, morally, publicly. This can’t
