The Economic Consequences of Homelessness in The US

Criminalization of Homelessness Increases in U.S. Cities
National Low Income Housing Coalition
A report by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP) found an
increase in the criminalization of homelessness over the past 10 years in U.S. cities.
NLCHP recommends more sensible, humane, and effective policies to address
homelessness that range from repealing laws that criminalize homelessness to
expanding access to affordable housing.
Local governments increasingly face dwindling resources, particularly for affordable
housing, to contend with homelessness. Rather than focus on the root causes of
homelessness, many cities have enacted laws that make life-sustaining activities for the
homeless, such as sleeping in public spaces, illegal. These laws represent a clear intent
to remove the homeless from public spaces, despite the lack of other options for
homeless individuals.
NLCHP surveyed the ordinances of 187 cities for the last 10 years. Among these cities:
• Thirty-three percent prohibit camping in public citywide, and 50% prohibit
camping in particular public places.
• Eighteen percent prohibit sleeping in public citywide, and 27% prohibit sleeping
in particular public places.
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