A penny sit-up was the cheapest homeless shelter at that time. There were more expensive homeless shelters available in London, such as a "four penny coffin". By today's standards this shelter at Blackfriars would be considered inadequate and callous toward these individuals. However, at the time this was considered a well-meaning, inexpensive, and compassionate attempt to deal with the relatively new phenomenon of homelessness. The Salvation Army believed these shelters provided relief from the harsh London winters and provided new devoted followers to the Christian faith. Others, such as Professor Howard Sercombe of the University of Strathclyde have argued that such institutions were more likely to have been designed in order to control the homeless, or at the very best - a compassionat