On January 23, 2015, Santa Cruz Indymedia reported that a lawsuit had been filed by the HPLAP (Homeless Persons' Legal Assistance Project) in Santa Cruz, CA, against the local municipality because of an ordinance allowing the police to issue "stay away" orders to the homeless on the beaches or in the parks. The HPLAP states that the ordinance is unconstitutional, with violations of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, the right to due process, and the right to equal protection under the law.
On the other hand, programs to treat homelessness through Housing First initiatives, such as the program begun in Salt Lake City in 2006, have been gathering increasing attention due to their astonishing success. The best part about these programs if you're a progressive: They succeed at drastically reducing the number of people in need of shelter and are on track to eliminate chronic homelessness in those cities that have adopted such programs. The best part, perhaps, if you're a conservative: These programs save cities giant piles of money. Salt Lake City estimates they spend about $7800 per person per year for housing, and that amount includes supportive services. Prior to this program, they spent over $20,000 per unhoused person per year. They found that programs that required behavior such as staying off of drugs in order to "earn" permanent housing meant that homelessness was not being reduced; the continued stress of not knowing if there would be a place to live did not improve mental health. Thus the Housing First model. Once that stress is relieved, people voluntarily start to improve other aspects of their lives.
Why would increased spending on apartments and utilities and food for the homeless save money? Because without such services, those we have abandoned on the streets do not magically disappear. They have to find a way to live. Thus they use prison and emergency services at huge levels. It costs a great deal more to keep someone in jail or treat someone in an emergency room than to simply give them the means to live. And criminalizing homelessness simply results in more funds spent on jails and prisons, a temporary "solution" since the homeless are still homeless upon release. Then in addition, when civil rights are violated, there are all the costs associated with lawsuits such as the above.
So please join me below today's orange squiggle of good news for the story of Santa Cruz.