Yes you can .
They can use a care of address, like the address of a family member or trusted friend, if they are staying at a hostel they can use the hostel address as their address or in exceptional circumstances they can use their local jobcentre.
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That’s what that guy that said he lived in a tent with his partner told me, I must admit I gave him money…
He also said that the authorities knew of this and it was getting sorted…
Actually Gee, that’s not true in this country, I thought it was as you believed…just read up about it online.
As for the guy in the tent, maybe he was spinning gullible Pauline a yarn…like the other one did…
Mmmm, not sure what you mean by strict, though, Muddy?
Easily 80% of people in Salvation Army hostels have got drug and alcohol problems when they arrive, they’re definitely not banned
And they Salvation Army run loads of addiction services.
Their priority is to reduce harm, keep the addicts safe and build their resilience so they are in a position to make the changes they need to themselves.
They’re not about being strict, or forcing people, or not providing help if they don’t change or if they relapse
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Lots of people who have sunk to the such depths of addiction that they are homeless have alienated their friends and family as well
And hostel places where you can stay long enough to use the address to claim benefits are as rare as hen’s teeth and Jobcentre service are horrible to access if you don’t have a mobile phone and address to keep in touch, especially during Covid
Lots of homeless people get sanctioned by the job centre and lose their benefits because they don’t show up to appointments they didn’t know they had
And as I said before, if people had the abilities to get through finding a care of address, a hostel place or satisfying the jobcentre, they probably wouldn’t be homeless in the first place
Help with these things is a big part of what the Salvation Army does
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Here’s one, an Oxford Street resident, hobbles back & forth by Selfridges, chases after p!sstakers, waving stick above head. I don’t see any more beggars on the streets of London now than I did when I first moved here in the 70s.
They are probably not doing so well in the new ‘pandemic’ cashless society.
@Muddy , You seem a bit slow on the uptake today Muddy
Gummy is one of those beggars !
He is working for their advertising department of course !!
Donkeyman! 
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A lot of beggars who aren’t British have been trafficked and brought here as part of the modern slave trade and exploited by gang masters
Speaking very little English and not understanding they are brought over here, modern slave tradecrammed into appalling living places and not allowed out except to work in sweat shops, begging and prostitution.
If they have passports and papers the gang masters take them so they can’t get away. The gang masters often claim benefits for them and nab that too.
You will see them getting dropped off and picked by the gang masters in posh cars etc
A tell tale sign is if they all have the same cardboard signs, asking for cash. These are kindly provided by the gang masters.
It’s just hell with little chance of escape. That doesn’t mean you should give them money of course, they just have to hand it over and won’t benefit.
But if you suspect it’s happening in your area it’s worth giving as much info as you can to the police, like dates and time and car reg, to help them build a case
And maybe giving to charities that support victims
There’s a male & female couple in my town centre who swap locations. One outside a building society and the other outside Specsavers. Both keep their positions, then swap places - obviously well organised beggary.
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Read the Citizens Advice site I linked to above. It is true. But as Muddy says, there are work arounds. But these work arounds do not work for everyone & the fact remains that unless someone has a home they have no benefits, unless they can organise & properly manage a care of address. Something which many homeless people are simply too mentally chaotic to do.
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From what I’ve read, they can use the job centre as an address, I also believe there are people who will help out the mentally challenged.
Some committed people actually spend their retirement helping the homeless and finding out where they spend the night.and where they pitch their tents…
Gee I think we have established that you don’t need a home to claim benefits
People who have mental issues and can’t deal with this and cannot see to themselves need to be looked after .
There need some sort of facility where they will be cared for as care in the community clearly doesn’t work .
I am quite sure that someone is available to help them claim benefits I doubt they are living on the street without eating and in order to eat you have to have money to buy food ,
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I agree,I believe that there are also people who help these homeless people out, especially this day and age.
They have to be pretty strict about some things ie not allowing drugs on the premises .
Dealing with people with mental issues and drug problems is not for the faint hearted .
I can honestly say I have never seen a beggar where I live…there again I have never seen a Muslim woman wearing a burka either
That is my reason for supporting the Salvation Army . Much as I would like to be out there doing good and helping people physically that is no longer possible . I live out in the country not near to any such hostels or shelters . Moreover I think dealing with drug addicts and people with mental issues is best left to strong young people who have experience of what to do with them
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Exactly, and I for once agree with this.
There were always a few street beggars knocking about in Worcester city centre when we lived there along with the regular 3 or 4 Big Issue vendors. When we moved here, we noticed there were none of both in town on the days we visited. Now, with the influx of “boat people” staying at a local business hotel courtesy of the Home Office, we have Big Issue sellers on every street corner it seems.
You don’t need a home to claim benefits but some people living on the streets aren’t capable of jumping through the hoops they have to in order to claim
Lots of charities try to help them get some money but a lot fall through the net
And that does leave them living on the street without food other than anything they are given or can beg and steal