Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that unhoused individuals found sleeping in public can be arrested or fined — this decision to criminalize individuals resting in homeless encampments is not only ridiculous, but it's morally wrong.
Earlier this year, Governor Ron Desantis of Florida signed a similar bill criminalizing unauthorized camping without a permit in public spaces. This bill's approval led to talks about city and county-authorized homeless camps being erected for safe sleeping. To date, no resolution has been made for the unhoused leaving individuals susceptible to arrest and long-term consequences for sleeping outdoors.
Housing is a Human Right
The recent decision was a reversal of a previous lower court's decision to allow camping and outdoor sleeping. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, states that housing is a fundamental human right. Unhoused community members deserve a safe and secure place to sleep, and although they do not have personal security on the streets, they still need rest.
Why are we abandoning civility and our human instinct of caring for others? Our moral compass has been shrouded by fear and selfishness. We have been taught unhoused community members are mentally ill and dangerous, this couldn't be further from the truth. This notation is dangerous and indirectly supports the ostracization and harassment of unhoused individuals. But this isn't a new problem.
Homelessness in America
Homelessness has been an issue in America since the beginning of American history and so has the criminalizing of unhoused and impoverished community members. The persecution of the poor has significantly impacted communities of color since America's establishment creating generational dysfunction and financial disparities within families.
After slavery ended, the Vagrancy Act of 1866 was introduced, punishing formerly enslaved people for being unhoused and forcing them into indentured servitude as a punishment. Sounds like extended slavery to you? It is. It was an indirect way for former slave owners to receive free labor after the emancipation of slavery. This insane practice should have never been allowed. Even more, no formerly enslaved people should have been unhoused to begin with. Unfortunately, the government didn't keep its promise to African Americans exiting slavery. But that's a conversation for another day.
Homelessness should not even be an issue in America. More than a decade ago, Mark Johnston, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs Programs of Housing and Urban Development testified to the House sub-committee on the state of homelessness in America. Johnston mentioned there was a goal and comprehensive plan to end veteran homelessness by 2015 and family and youth homelessness by 2020. The approach was simple, provide housing first, but with the lack of continuity in social services, partnering agencies, and supportive communities this plan fell short of success.
How to End Homelessness
Do you know what can help decrease and eliminate homelessness? The feeling of belonging. When people feel like they are a part of something, they do better for themselves. When people feel like someone loves and cares for them, they do better for themselves. The Bautista Project has worked with and advocated for unhoused community members for many years. The most common thing that chronically unhoused individuals tell us is that they have no family and being in an encampment with others feels like home. It’s their sense of community that they’ve created, that keeps them feeling safe and seen.
Unfortunately, we’ve failed to create a sense of belonging for unhoused community members for centuries, which is why homelessness remains a growing problem in the United States.
The Supreme Court’s ruling to ban homeless encampments is unjust as it ignores the systemic issues leading to homelessness and it places the value of land over human life. It’s time we pull the privileged cloak from over our eyes see how we perpetuate the problem of homelessness, and work to create sustainable solutions to effectively eliminate homelessness once and for all.
Listen below as Marla Bautista, our founder, shares her personal story of homelessness an how belonging is the solution.
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