Housing NOT HANDCUFFS A
cross the country, cities are criminalizing homelessness. A 2019 report by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty found that 34 percent of the homeless population living in the Orlando area are without shelter beds, yet city ordinances prohibit camping, sleeping, begging and food sharing. Without access to shelter, privacy and food, these individuals are subject to cycling through the criminal justice system, accruing court fines and debts as they struggle to survive. This system places an additional burden on the individual — and on the community. “There are a multitude of court costs associated with arrests,” said Shelley Lauten, CEO of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness. “Every time you have a misdemeanor or a felony, you’re getting charged with court costs, which digs the homeless individual further into the poverty hole.” A 2014 study by the commission tracked 110 homeless individuals over the period of one year. It showed the people in the study group were arrested more than 3,000 times. Frederick Lauten, chief judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, witnesses firsthand the circular system of arrests among people experiencing homelessness. “Generally, these offenders are seen at first appearance, 24 hours after their arrest, and are often quickly released back into the community, only to be re-arrested and put through the same cycle over and over again,” he said. “Housing First helps eliminate this unproductive, resources-demanding cycle.”
It’s the supportive services the folks are provided that help them reintegrate into a world off the streets.
—Shelley Lauten
BY THE NUMBERS
339
chronically homeless have been housed 34 | MAY 2019 | i4Biz.com
84%
reduction in court and adjudication costs in one year – a reduction of $31k
85%
reduction in days spent in jail – saving $42k in jail costs
