With A Series Of Small Bans, Cities Turn Homelessness Into A Crime

[Photo: Caroline Losneck]

...The National Law Center found that local bans on sleeping in vehicles have increased almost 120 percent over the past three years. Citywide bans on camping have grown 60 percent, and laws against begging have increased 25 percent. This all comes at a time when that more than 610,000 people are homeless on any given night.

"It would be nice if you could solve the problem of homelessness simply by outlawing it," [Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty] says. "But in reality, it takes resources to really end homelessness."

Resources are often difficult for cities to come by, even though numerous studies show that housing the homeless is more cost-effective in the long run: Ultimately, less money is needed for emergency services, like hospitals and police.

http://www.npr.org/2014/07/16/332050463/with-a-series-of-small-bans-cities-turn-homelessness-into-a-crime