Begging
To reduce street begging in Luton, we need to work together so all Lutonians can have a good quality of life and leave street begging behind for good.
People beg for many different reasons. It can often be seen as linked to rough sleeping, but this is not always true. You might encounter people on the street that are asking for money to stay in hostel accommodation. Nobody needs to raise funds to stay in a hostel in Luton.
There are a number of support and accommodation services available to people who are sleeping rough in Luton.
Support is also available to individuals who engage in street begging, but who are not necessarily sleeping rough. Trusted street outreach teams engage with individuals on a regular basis to encourage those begging to use the wider services available to them, if they wish to do so.
We know how hard it is walking past someone out on the street in the cold. But whilst giving money to individuals might seem supportive, it doesn’t always help them off the streets. Getting people off the street is not straightforward and vulnerable individuals require dedicated and expert support from our local charities and organisations.
If you really want to help change the lives of people in need, we ask that you do it in ways other than giving money directly to individuals who beg.
Luton Council have been working in partnership with The Luton Homeless Partnership on a new campaign to bring about long-term change to the lives of people associated with sleeping rough.
By giving to the Big Change Luton alternative giving scheme, you can be assured your donation is used effectively and where it will really make a difference to those in need. One hundred percent of your donations go to charities working in our town to give individuals experiencing homelessness the very best chance of making a real change in their lives.
You can make a donation on the Big Change Luton website, or via the following two Big Change contactless donation points in Luton town centre:
- service desk in The Mall shopping centre
- outside Starbucks Travel Centre opposite Luton train station
If you are worried about someone you’ve seen sleeping rough in Luton, you can alert Streetlink by downloading the Streetlink app or by calling 0300 500 0914.