{"id":12961,"date":"2019-09-06T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T13:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=12961"},"modified":"2022-10-09T07:21:46","modified_gmt":"2022-10-09T11:21:46","slug":"criminalization-of-homelessness-continues-to-increase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/criminalization-of-homelessness-continues-to-increase\/","title":{"rendered":"Criminalization of Homelessness Continues to Increase"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Summer of 2019 in Austin, TX will go down in history. At this time, steps were made to decriminalize homelessness in The Lone Star State. On June 21, after much discussion with the #HomesNotHandcuffs Coalition, the Capital City officially voted to amend<\/a> some of the legislation criminalizing homelessness in the region.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in Sacramento County, anti-camping laws came under fire<\/a>, making sleeping on public property legal in instances where shelter beds are unavailable.<\/p>\n

And, in 2018, a three-judge panel in the city of Boise declared the city\u2019s anti-camping laws \u201cunconstitutional\u201d<\/a>. Due to that groundbreaking court ruling, neighboring cities have questioned the morality of their own urban camping bans. Many see enforcement as inhumane or, at the very least, a last resort response to the growing homeless crisis.<\/p>\n

Deep down, we all know that criminalizing ordinances are not the answer.<\/h4>\n

These laws are hateful and expensive on multiple levels. Osceola County, Florida alone spent a jaw-dropping $5,081,680<\/a> to repeatedly imprison the same 37 homeless people over and over again. For homeless people, getting back up after one or more citations can prove an impossible feat.<\/p>\n

Having a criminal record, even for non-violent offenses like public camping, panhandling, or loitering is likely to make landlords think twice about taking a chance on housing a homeless person.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, in addition to costing the public more in taxes, these ordinances can also cripple the economy and ruin lives on an individual level. The end result of anti-homeless legislation is \u2026 drumroll, please<\/em> \u2026 more homelessness.<\/p>\n

While Select Cities Have Made a Bit of Headway in Decriminalizing Homelessness, Criminalization has Dramatically Increased.<\/h4>\n

It\u2019s easy to get swept up in a sea of broken promises, especially when that sea is adorned in pretty words and the horizon is painted with overly optimistic aspirations. However, the harrowing truth is two things have dramatically increased over the past decade: homelessness<\/a> and criminalization of the homeless population<\/a>. These two components on their own suggest a systematic failure. But when found together, they suggest something much more sinister indeed – poverty-stricken people taking the blame for a systematic failure. Here\u2019s a brief overview of the numbers as they relate to the matter at hand:<\/p>\n