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- Robert Davis explore the latest data on people experiencing homelessness and the impact of laws that make being without a home unlawful.
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- Read more about issues related to housing and homelessness.
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Criminalizing Homelessness and Its Devastating Impact
The data also highlights the devastating impact that criminalizing homelessness has had on the population.
Since the Supreme Court decided the Johnson v. Grants Pass case over the summer, more than 100 cities have passed new laws criminalizing homelessness. These laws include prohibitions on public camping and crackdowns on activities associated with homelessness, such as sitting, eating, or lying down in public.
Nearly every city in the country has similar laws on their books, according to the National Homelessness Law Center. These laws have been passed with increasing frequency since 2006.
Meanwhile, investments in affordable housing have lagged, contributing to the growth of homelessness. According to the latest data, the number of shelter beds increased by 13% year-over-year, driven by investments in emergency shelters. These beds offer temporary respite for homeless folks but do little to help individuals find permanent, stable housing.
Cities also invested in other temporary solutions, such as rapid rehousing and community-based housing solutions. According to HUD data, these temporary solutions account for 57% of the total housing inventory.
“What’s most devastating about this latest data is that we know how to end homelessness: quick connections to permanent housing and the range of supportive services people need and want to prevent homelessness in the first place,” Enterprise Community Partners CEO Shaun Donovan said in a statement.
Accountability Among Elected Officials
Other experts, like Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, say that elected officials are to blame for this issue. Evictions are on the rise, and the number of affordable housing units is scarce. These are issues that elected officials can address through thoughtful policies and regulations, but many don’t seem willing to try.
“Our elected officials also deserve blame,” Whitehead said. “They have failed to increase housing subsidies in response to the growing affordability crisis and to extend COVID-19 relief funds, such as the eviction prevention and emergency housing voucher programs.”
Read the full article about criminalizing homelessness by Robert Davis at Invisible People.