COSAC Foundation

by National Coalition for the Homeless

The Criminalization of Homelessness takes many forms. To get a better understanding of what exactly it is, we have to look at the difference between those who have money and those who don’t . For instance if you have money, then you don’t need to sleep in a public place.

by National Coalition for the Homeless

According to a study by UCLA released in September 2007, Los Angeles was spending $6 million a year to pay for fifty extra police officers as part of its Safe City Initiative to crack down on crime in the Skid Row area at a time when the city budgeted only $5.7 million for homeless services.

by National Coalition for the Homeless

Since early 2007, St. Petersburg has passed 6 new ordinances that target homeless people. These include ordinances that outlaw panhandling throughout most of downtown, prohibit the storage of personal belongings on public property, and make it unlawful to sleep outside at various locations.

by National Coalition for the Homeless

In 2006, the Orlando City Council passed a law that prohibited groups sharing food with 25 or more people in downtown parks covered under the ordinance from doing so more than twice a year.

by National Coalition for the Homeless

After passing an ordinance in 2007 making panhandling illegal in the “tourist triangle,” Atlanta’s Central Atlanta Progress, an alliance of downtown businesses, succeeded in persuading Mayor Shirley Franklin to present an ordinance outlawing panhandling in heavily visited downtown areas.

by National Coalition for the Homeless

In September 2007, despite opposition from homeless advocates and city officials, the Gainesville City Commission closed down all publicly owned portions of a large homeless encampment – “Tent City” – as part of its 10-year plan to end homelessness.

by National Coalition for the Homeless

In the summer of 2007, several members of Michigan People’s Action were arrested for sleeping in public parks following the enactment of an ordinance prohibiting such activities.

by National Coalition for the Homeless

According to a San Francisco Chronicle article, San Francisco police issue about 10,000 citations each year for quality-of-life crimes such as camping, blocking sidewalks, and drinking in public. Violations typically require a court appearance and failing to appear results in issuance of a misdemeanor warrant. About 90% of violators fail to appear.

by National Coalition for the Homeless

Since 2006, the City Council has closed a large number of beach parks on the leeward coast of Oahu for “cleaning,” sending teams of police officers to remove people from their temporary homes; the Council has also banned overnight sleeping in at least seven leeward coast parks in two years.

by National Coalition for the Homeless

In early 2007, a Bradenton police officer was punished for attempting to help a homeless woman he arrested maintain her possessions. Officer Nicholas Evans arrested a homeless woman, whose entire collection of possessions was in a shopping cart. Evans moved the cart by pulling it alongside his patrol car for the entire 12-mile drive to the county jail.