A clinic for homeless people in Melbourne says the city’s homelessness problem is being exacerbated by police issuing fines for people begging for money.

Youth Projects says it has had increasing reports from clients being fined for begging, with some claiming their money has been taken by police as “proceeds of crime” and put into charity boxes.

Begging is illegal in Victoria and can attract fines of more than $100, leading to prolonged court proceedings and large debts.



The chair of Youth Projects’ clinic for homeless people, Melanie Raymond, said despite calls from the sector to decriminalise begging, police continue to impose the penalties.

“The fact that it’s illegal doesn’t play any part in real life on the streets for homeless people,” she said.

“They’re trying to get a foothold into employment and having a mountain of fines on their back isn’t helping. It's preventing them from moving on.”

Ms Raymond said a 40 per cent increase in homelessness in the CBD over the past year was prompting an increase in begging.

One homeless woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told 774 ABC Melbourne she was often hassled by police for asking for money.

“I’ve also had a policeman give me my card and tell me to call him if I have any trouble, because he gets annoyed at his bosses saying ‘get the homeless off the streets’ when we’ve got nowhere to go,” she said.

Another person, collecting money on the Princes Bridge, said he relied on begging to supplement his welfare payment.

The man, in his 30s, said police had fined him and taken money he’d collected while begging, but that it did not stop him.

The begging life

Beggars can collect between $40 and $200 a day, according to clients of Youth Projects.

For one client, who goes by the nickname of “Chaos”, begging was a necessity during his 20 years of intermittent homelessness.

He said he kept a pet dog with him because it encouraged people to give more money.

“I was trying to survive and support drug habits,” he said.

“I was crap at crime so I chose begging. A lot of it went on drugs – but either way I’d get the money so would you rather me beg for it or steal your stereo?”

Chaos said he was fined and regularly had police take the money he collected from begging – sometimes forcing him to put it into a charity box.

“Police made me put it in – it was Christmas Eve and I had about $40 and they made me put it all in the church poor box,” he said.

“Other times you’d have to go to court for begging and get a $100 fine, then I’d have to go begging to pay that back.”

Youth Projects’ Melanie Raymond said while begging was considered shameful for homeless people, it was often the only way to regain some control.

“To take some control of what you do – instead of being utterly dependent on other people – you have to have some cash, so you can decide what to do with it,” she said.

A spokesperson for Victoria Police said police regularly run operations targeting "aggressive and professional beggars", but they do not confiscate money beggars have collected.

They said beggars can avoid fines if they enter a Salvation Army court diversion program to help "get them back on their feet".