I'm disgusted at how from the start of this thread every comment negates the absolute tragedy that some people have nothing, no home, no food, no spare clothes. nowhere to even wash and are classed as the subhuman. It's almost like it's not a real thing. I honestly am stunned by the arrogance!
We visit London for the weekend (mainly winter time) a few times a year and what I find sad is the people who genuinely do sleep rough. At the rear of Waterloo Station, out of view of the Station's awaiting masses, you will see people huddled in doorways to keep warm at night. The shop doorways in the Covent Garden area become a shelter for homeless people after darkness falls and many many more areas are the same. These people are NOT begging, just merely sheltering from the bitter cold. They MAY have been begging during the day, who knows, but the fact remains that they are definitely sleeping in doorways at night.
As we tend to visit in winter, you will see people sleeping in doorways at night when it's -5 outside. Some people create their own fate, others just get dealt a bad hand, but it certainly opened my eyes and made me aware of how lucky I am.