Homelessness remains a national crisis, as stagnated wages, rising rents, and a grossly insufficient social safety net have left millions of people homeless or at-risk - including at least 1.36 million homeless children enrolled in U.S. public schools. Although many people experiencing homelessness have literally no choice but to live outside and in public places, laws and enforcement practices punishing the presence of visibly homeless people in public space continue to grow. In our latest report on this rising national trend, “Housing Not Handcuffs: Ending the Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities”, we analyze data from 187 cities across the country that the Law Center has tracked since 2006 and describe how criminalization policies are ineffective, expensive, and often unconstitutional.
Please join us for a two-part webinar series on the criminalization of homelessness.
Part One: Housing Not Handcuffs: Ending the Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities
The first webinar will describe the criminalization of homelessness, and its dramatic rise over the past ten years. We will also discuss mounting federal pressure to discourage local criminalization policies, and successful legal challenges of criminalization laws – including panhandling bans – in recent years.
Part Two: Alternatives to Criminalization: Policies that Work to Sustainably End Homelessness
The second webinar in the series will focus on constructive policy alternatives to criminalization strategies, highlighting model policies and programs across the country. We will also discuss the growing body of research showing that solving homelessness through housing is far cheaper and more effective than criminalizing it.
