• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

A Better Way To Fight Homelessness: Decriminalize It

October 18, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

A homeless person in St. Augustine in an image, one of dozens, used to convince the St. Augustine City Council on Monday to pass a draconian anti-panhandling ordinance. The measure inspired Palm Coast City Council member Heidi Shipley to do likewise in the city, though the city manager rebuffed her.
A homeless person in St. Augustine in an image, one of dozens, used to convince the St. Augustine City Council on Monday to pass a draconian anti-panhandling ordinance. The measure inspired Palm Coast City Council member Heidi Shipley to do likewise in the city, though the city manager rebuffed her.

By John Tharp and Maria Foscarinis

When San Diego resident Gerald Stark’s rent increased and he couldn’t afford another apartment, the retired union pipefitter moved into his RV.

But because he lacked an address, San Diego law made it almost impossible for him to park his RV legally. Soon the city confiscated it, leaving him out on the streets.


There, he was ticketed for violating another law prohibiting sleeping in public. Faced with thousands of dollars in fines and fees he was unable to pay, Stark lived every day in fear of being arrested — for simply trying to survive.

He’s not alone.

There isn’t a single county in the United States where you can rent a two-bedroom, market-rate apartment working a full-time, minimum-wage job. Many of our neighbors are just one emergency or missed paycheck away from losing their homes.

Unfortunately, law enforcement is often used as a first response to address homelessness. Many communities essentially criminalize it.

Instead of connecting people with services and housing, they drag people experiencing homelessness into the criminal justice system, making it more difficult for them to get a job or housing.

It’s a harmful myth that homeless people cause an increase in crime. Several studies show homeless people are actually more likely to be victims of crime — especially in places where they have to hide from police. 

other-wordsIn the absence of low-cost housing, many people often have no choice but to break the law to carry out necessary, life-sustaining activities — like sleeping, resting, or using the bathroom — in public places. But instead of responding with solutions, cities like Denver, Houston, and Puyallup, Washington are enacting more laws against those activities.

Such laws are harmful, wasteful, and arguably unconstitutional.

Cities spend taxpayer dollars enforcing homeless encampment “sweeps” and “move along” policies for homeless people. And burdening homeless people with fines and fees makes it even more difficult for them to return to the tax rolls.

One homeless man, Russell Bartholow of Sacramento, received an astonishing $100,000 in fines for sleeping and camping in public. Fining people who don’t even have enough money for rent isn’t productive or humane.

Homelessness is a community issue, and it demands a community to solve it. 

At the federal level, a universal voucher program, where no person pays more than 30 percent of their income on rent, would go a long way. Currently, because of funding cuts spanning almost four decades, only one-in-four of those poor enough to be eligible for federal housing help actually receives it.

Those who do are often turned away due to discrimination. We must strengthen federal anti-discrimination laws, so housing can’t be denied to someone due to their source of income, poor credit, lack of rental history, or their status as a victim of domestic violence.

At the local level, tenants in good standing should be protected from arbitrary eviction, and low-income people facing eviction should get a right to counsel.

And all laws that make it a crime to be homeless should be repealed.

Philadelphia offers an example. Earlier this year, law enforcement officials donated a vacant office in the subway station to create the HUB of Hope, where homeless people can do their laundry and stay out of bad weather. “We are not going to arrest people for being homeless,” said Major Jim Kenney.

In Syracuse, Mayor Stephanie Miner refused to follow a state order to arrest homeless people who didn’t enter shelters. Instead, the city reached out to people experiencing homelessness to connect them to housing, helping Syracuse become one of the first cities to end veteran homelessness.

With proven solutions, communities can help people like Gerald Stark, Russell Bartholow, and millions of others off the streets and onto a better path, leaving everyone safer and healthier.

Maria Foscarinis directs the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. John Tharp is a former sheriff of Lucas County, Ohio. The Economic Hardship Reporting Project produced this piece, a longer version of which appeared at The Huffington Post.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dave says

    October 18, 2018 at 8:55 pm

    I love it ! Too many people look down on our homeless and some even fear them. Please stop arresting our homeless and let’s help them get the help and supplies they need to survive.

    Reply
  2. Mary R says

    October 18, 2018 at 10:02 pm

    We shower our “under privileged” children with presents galore at Christmas. Almost every church, school, club, office, community building, stores have a tree for people to donate gifts. While that’s kind and generous, we have adults starving, no place to find shelter, food, necessities to survive. We need to get action groups and force our elected officials to find a solution, most local governments have vacant offices and most communities have goodwill volunteers that will help organize teams to find adequate and decent donations so people have a place to sit, sleep, eat, bathe. Shameful we’re so negligent caring for the homeless.

    Reply
  3. south florida says

    October 19, 2018 at 7:55 am

    Being homeless can happen to anyone. Everyone is a paycheck away from loosing their homes unless you are a big wig.

    Reply
  4. FlaglerRedo says

    October 19, 2018 at 8:43 am

    Bring Back the Poor Farm

    Reply
  5. capt says

    October 19, 2018 at 10:55 am

    South Fla said it best ” Everyone is a paycheck away from loosing their homes unless you are a big wig.”

    So true. Bill collectors don’t care about your problems they want your money.

    Also We have Vets on the street, these men and women signed up to defend the United States of America because they thought it was right, a lot of these people lost their jobs, lost their wife’s, their homes, their cars and a lot find themselves homeless. And the govt fails to take care of those that signed up to take care of the United States in a time of need.

    Reply
  6. Born and Raised Here says

    October 19, 2018 at 11:05 am

    With all these rentals perhaps we could put them in the rentals, and give us owners a credible discount on property taxes.

    Reply
  7. Realist says

    October 19, 2018 at 7:06 pm

    I know everyone gets all warm and fuzzy feeling inside when they think about helping these people. There is a large majority of homeless that will be homeless no matter what you do for them. They either don’t want to work or do not have the mental capacity to work and maintain themselves even if they are given the help to “get back on their feet”. Some of them collect a check from the government and just drink it away. A vast majority of homeless suffer from mental illness. It’s sad, but true. That being said I don’t want to drive around town and see them sleeping on sidewalks and holding signs in traffic. Pissing and shitting on the side of the road in homeless camps near the places our children play or frequent. Places like the Palm Coast library. Walk 5 feet in the woods anywhere around there and look at all the trash and litter they leave behind. The drunken fights that law enforcement has to deal with almost daily. The more services or free food and shelter you offer the more they will flock here.

    Reply
  8. jake says

    October 20, 2018 at 1:42 pm

    @south florida & capt, “Being homeless can happen to anyone. Everyone is a paycheck away from loosing their homes unless you are a big wig.”

    Nonsense, many people own their homes, are financially secure, and responsible adults. Being homeless can be a financial issue, however more often than not, it’s about mental illness.

    Reply
  9. Sherry says

    October 20, 2018 at 3:08 pm

    OK. . . then maybe what we should do is decriminalize mental illness.

    Regardless of the “label” you put on the growing problem, as what should be a “civilized” society, we should be looking for humane solutions instead of locking people away. Florida has very little in the way of facilities for treating mental illness. We should be ashamed that many of the homeless are veterans. . . forgotten by the VA, and forgotten by their families.

    Reply
  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • FlaglerLive on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Michael Cocchiola on A Trans Teen No Longer Feels Welcome in Florida. So She Left.
  • Dave on Life Is Cheaper in Red States. But People Die Younger.
  • Dave on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Lance Carroll on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Lance Carroll on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • pete on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Laurel on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, May 28, 2023
  • Sharon on Nearing Presidential Run, DeSantis Signs Series of Anti-LGBTQ Bills Critics Call ‘Slate of Hate’
  • Sharon on Nearing Presidential Run, DeSantis Signs Series of Anti-LGBTQ Bills Critics Call ‘Slate of Hate’
  • Sharon on Nearing Presidential Run, DeSantis Signs Series of Anti-LGBTQ Bills Critics Call ‘Slate of Hate’
  • Sharon on Nearing Presidential Run, DeSantis Signs Series of Anti-LGBTQ Bills Critics Call ‘Slate of Hate’
  • starryid on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Laurel on The Supreme Court Just Plundered Wetlands Protection
  • Laurel on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, May 27, 2023
  • FlaglerLive on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation

Log in