The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty is holding a webinar on December 10, 2019 from 2:00 PM-3:00 PM Eastern to review an updated edition of their Housing Not Handcuffs 2019 report, This report—the only national report of its kind—provides an overview of laws in effect across the country that punish homelessness.

The Housing Not Handcuffs 2019 report shows that the criminalization of homelessness continues to increase even with strong evidence showing that it is counter-productive and expensive. Through online research, laws were identified that restrict or prohibit different categories of conduct performed by people experiencing homelessness, including sleeping, sitting or lying down, and living in vehicles within public space.

Additionally, this report tracks the significant growth of these laws both over the past thirteen years, and since the release of Housing Not Handcuffs, the last report on the criminalization of homelessness in 2016.

The updated report also reviews the disparate racial impact of homelessness and disparate impacts on persons with disabilities and the LGBTQ community. Prejudices often intersect and worsen discrimination against people experiencing homelessness. The inaccurate belief that homelessness is a result of poor life choices, mental illness, and/or drug addiction motivates public calls for a “zero tolerance” approach to homelessness; which in turn leads to criminalization laws designed to remove visibly homeless people from public space.

Speakers on the webinar will highlight how criminalization is ineffective, harmful, and costly, and will also offer key recommendations for positive solutions.

The webinar continues the Law Center's effort to push advocates, policymakers, and lawyers to work towards constructive solutions, housing not handcuffs. Join the movement here: http://housingnothandcuffs.org/endorse/

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.