Good afternoon Housing Not Handcuffs supporters, 

Right now, the Supreme Court, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, and Arizona are all debating if they can punish their way out of homelessness. Things like jail cells and tickets make homelessness worse, but sadly, too many people still think punishing people for being poor will end poverty. As the movement to arrest and ticket people sleeping outside grows, we need your help to shift conversations and policies away from harm, and towards the housing and services that actually end homelessness. 

See below for state-level updates and ways to get involved in a landmark Supreme Court case about homelessness, including a webinar tomorrow that the National Homelessness Law Center is cosponsoring with the American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, with support from RESULTS Educational Fund and Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity.  

First, some good news 

Indiana advocates defeat Cicero bill

Our partners in Indiana defeated a bill that would have criminalized homelessness and gutted funding for those needing housing and supports. When we work together, we can beat back harmful, billionaire-backed policies. Congratulations, Indiana!

New polling in Kentucky shows support for housing, not harm

Kentucky is trying to pass a bill that, in addition to the standard playbook of making camping illegal and defunding housing, would enable vigilantes to use force- even deadly force- to remove homeless people from their property. But everyday Kentuckians know that these harmful policies will not make people safer and will only make homelessness worse. A new poll shows most residents know that we cannot punish our way out of homelessness and that true safety comes when everybody’s needs are met.  

Homelessness goes to the Supreme Court 

This April, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the Homeless Cruelty Case, Johnson v. Grants Pass. At its core, this case will determine if the Constitution’s protections against cruel and unusual punishment include people who are forced to sleep outside. Visit our website to learn more about the case, and click here for ways that your organization can help us win the case and grow the movement to end homelessness.  

Join us tomorrow, Feb. 15th from 2 to 3 P.M. EST for a webinar to learn more about this landmark case and how you can get involved.

Click here to RSVP.  

 

Cicero bills sweep the country 

As we speak, Hawaii, Utah, Arizona, Iowa, and Kentucky are considering bills pushed by the billionaire-backed, far-right Cicero Institute. Check out our Emergent Threats tracking map to stay up to date and learn more about these harmful, extremist bills.

While all these bills are extreme, the bills in Kentucky and Arizona are particularly awful. In addition to Cicero’s normal playbook of gutting housing funding, creating internment camps, and criminalizing survival, Kentucky’s bill allows for the use of force- including deadly force- to remove homeless folks from private property. Arizona’s bill requires hotels that are sheltering homeless people to post massive signs informing everybody that unhoused folks are staying there.

Let’s be clear: all of these bills will lead to further stigmatization and violence towards our homeless neighbors and do nothing to end homelessness.  

There is a growing, well-funded and coordinated effort to defund housing and make it easier to harm people living outside. We have a hard fight ahead of us. But together, we can ensure that all of our neighbors have the housing they need to thrive.  

Onwards,  

Jesse