Report says cities criminalize homeless

More cities throughout the nation are adopting laws targeting homeless people without providing long-term solutions to help them, according to new report that cites El Cajon as an example of a city that treats homelessness like a crime.

The report was created by the Washington, D.C.-based National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, a nonprofit advocacy group that surveyed 187 cities about their policies on homelessness. San Diego and El Cajon were among the cities surveyed.

Tristia Bauman, a senior attorney for the center, said many laws that target the homeless are ineffective and often push people to neighboring cities or recycle them through the criminal justice system and back onto the street.

In El Cajon, almost 52 percent of homeless people dont have access to shelter, but the city restricts or bans sleeping in public, camping in public, begging in public and sleeping in vehicles, according to the report.

El Cajon City Manager Doug Williford did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday.

Bauman said being ticketed can create significant setbacks for homeless people, who may have their cars and possessions impounded, making it more difficult to find work and shelter.

A criminal conviction on a record can prevent someone from obtaining a housing subsidy or low-skill, low-paying job, she said. Essentially, they are creating a scenario where they make the problem worse.

San Diego laws cited in the report prohibit sleeping in public places, obstructing public right-of-ways and sleeping in cars.

A police officer who works with homeless people in San Diego said such laws are necessary and can even be used to encourage homeless people to get the help they need.

Sgt. Teresa Clark, with the San Diego Police Departments homeless outreach team, said laws that restrict sleeping outdoors and blocking walkways are needed, but usually are only enforced when people are uncooperative.

See more here:
Report says cities criminalize homeless