Several U.S. cities are cracking down on homeless encampments as the rate of homelessness across the country has increased in recent years.
According to ABC News, the federal count of homeless went up to 580,000 in 2022 due to the lack of affordable housing, COVID-19’s economic impact on households, and lack of access to mental health and addiction treatment.
Encampments in cities ranging from Los Angeles to New York have taken place amid public pressure from resident’s complaints about dangerous and unsanitary living conditions. At the same time, however, efforts have had little effect on the increased number of tents on sidewalks, parks, and freeway off-ramps.
According to the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, over 3,700 across the nation face homelessness on any given night.
“We are seeing an increase in these laws at the state and local level that criminalize homelessness, and it’s really a misguided reaction to this homelessness crisis,” Scout Katovich, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said.
The ACLU has previously filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of sweeps and property seizures in multiple cities,…
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