"The men and women out here, they don’t want to be homeless. I don’t know a single soul who wants to be homeless…I don’t care how broken down you are, not one person out on the street wants to be homeless. And to be penalized for being homeless? That’s ludicrous. We’re already being penalized. You got to go to the back of the bus, you can’t come into certain restaurants, you can’t go to the bathroom, you can’t do this without buying something, it’s already a system that needs a lot of work."
– Cynthia Mewborn, Homeless Person
Being homeless comes with its obvious challenges like not knowing where your next meal will come from, not knowing where you will sleep that night, worrying about others stealing what little possessions you have, harsh living conditions and so on. On top of these daily challenges, many homeless individuals find themselves harassed, cited, and in some cases arrested for trying to survive.
There are certain laws or ordinances out there that target the homeless population. One of the most common associations with homeless people is begging for money, or panhandling. Some cities have passed laws that prohibit panhandling, solicitation, or begging. According to nlchp.org, since 2011, there has even been a 20% increase in the number of bans on begging in certain public places.
We often see homeless people sleeping on the streets or sidewalks. Roughly 74% of homeless people do not know a place where it is SAFE & LEGAL for them to sleep. This can often lead them to get citations, harassed, and arrested for simply resting their heads. During sleeping, at least 81% of homeless people have been harassed, 50% cited, and 30% arrested. Since 2011, there has bee a 16% increase in the ban on "camping in particular public places."
The last major law targeting the homeless population is those surrounding loitering, sitting or standing in an area on purpose. Cities have used these to target homeless people in public spaces. nlchp.org found that 78% were harassed, 43% cited, and 26% were arrested for loitering alone. When it came to sitting or laying down, 66% were harassed, 41% cited, and 25% were arrested. "53% of cities have laws prohibiting sitting or lying down in public. This represents a 43% increase in such laws since 2011."
These laws were placed to target the homeless population due to the lack of other persons taking part in these activities. To put these in perspective, Atlanta, Georgia ranked #4 on the so-called "meanest cities" when it comes to these laws, according to www.nationalhomeless.org. The city and mayor passed a bill in August 2005, which made panhandling illegal within the “tourist triangle” and anywhere after dark as well as prohibiting panhandling within 15 feet of an ATM, bus stop, taxi stand, pay phone, public toilet, or train station anywhere in the city. This law also stated that "anyone who asks for help, both monetary and non-monetary, can be detained until an outreach worker either evaluates the detainee or refers him/her to social services." These examples are just a few of what homeless people have to face in daily life and the eggshells they have to walk on to avoid breaking any laws.
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