HONOLULU — Cities across the country are enacting more bans on living in vehicles, camping in public areas and panhandling, despite efforts by the federal government to discourage such laws amid a shortage in affordable housing, a new report said.
HONOLULU — Cities across the country are enacting more bans on living in vehicles, camping in public areas and panhandling, despite efforts by the federal government to discourage such laws amid a shortage in affordable housing, a new report said.
Denver, which ordered about 150 homeless people living on sidewalks to clear out their belongings Tuesday, was among four cities criticized for policies criminalizing homelessness in a report by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, an advocacy group aiming to prevent people from losing their homes.
The other cities listed in its “hall of shame” are in Hawaii, Texas and Washington state.
People in Denver chanted, “No handcuffs. Give us homes,” as they packed up their belongings when police arrived. As they piled shopping carts high, a jumble of items cluttered the area: a banana, a paperback copy of Shakespeare and a pair of construction boots.
Many cities with increasing home prices have been struggling with homelessness, including Denver and Honolulu, which were reprimanded for an anti-camping law and ban on sitting or lying on sidewalks, respectfully.
“These laws are unconstitutional and bad public policy,” Maria Foscarinis, the center’s executive director, said in a phone call with reporters. “Homelessness remains a national crisis across the country. It’s fueled by the growing lack of affordable housing and the shrinking safety net.”
The laws create barriers to employment, housing and education, she said.
Honolulu was criticized for what the group called aggressive enforcement of its sit-lie ban. The group said the city has issued more than 16,000 warnings to people violating the ban since it was enacted in Waikiki in 2014.
Honolulu officials, who didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment, have said the ban was necessary so people can safely use public sidewalks and because tourists and residents complained.
