The Economic Consequences of Homelessness in The US

These charges often carry fines that people cannot pay—and unpaid fines eventually
lead to jail time. In Dallas, for example, citations for sleeping in public often carry $150-
$300 tickets. Most homeless individuals cannot afford these fines, and may, as a result,
skip court dates. Many also miss court because they have no address to receive court
notices, or because they lack money for transportation. Missing court can lead to arrest
warrants, more charges and jail, thus driving them deeper into the criminal justice
system.
6.Criminalizing homelessness is expensive.
Studies show that it costs more to jail those who are homeless than to provide them
with shelter. On average, one day in jail costs $87, whereas a shelter bed costs $28.
And that, in turn, diverts money from implementing effective solutions. In San Diego,
homelessness is a serious problem. But, while officials focus on ticketing and jailing
people, they neglect to address the root causes of homelessness, such as an
inadequate supply of affordable housing. This negligence was on full display during the
hepatitis A outbreak that killed at least 16 people and caused over 400 to get sick.
7.Criminalizing
homelessness may be
unconstitutional.
Aside from being
counterproductive, there’s
ample evidence that
criminalizing homelessness
violates the Constitution.
The First Amendment
Freedom of Expression: In
2015, in Reed v. Gilbert, the
Supreme Court struck down a
ban on the public display of
signs for religious services,
ruling that laws regulating the
content of signs are
presumptively unconstitutional.
Relying on that case, the
Seventh Circuit and other federal district courts have struck down panhandling laws in
Colorado, Florida, Illinois, and Massachusetts, finding that they impermissibly regulate
expressive conduct.
Fundamental Right To Travel: In Florida in 1992, a Federal District Court declared
Miami’s sit-sleep-lie laws a violation of the right to travel, writing that, “Preventing
Page 171 of 289