The humanitarian crisis on our streets requires urgent action. Our homelessness crisis is caused by a lack of affordable, accessible housing, and it is intensified by oppressive forces like racial injustice, health inequities and profound wealth inequality.
Our community needs solutions urgently.
Unfortunately many of the current proposals bring urgency to the wrong “solutions,” investing precious resources in enforcing illegal camping bans, coercing people into mass shelters and institutionalized encampments segregated from community support, and threatening criminalization for those who feel safer sheltering in place. These actions increase racial disparities, intensify trauma, cost millions, and do not add a single unit of housing.
We can do better.
