Icon of a house

Homelessness

Whether you live under a bridge or in a mansion makes no difference. In America, the Constitution applies to everybody. Unfortunately, cities and counties continue to pass laws that undermine basic human rights for people who are unhoused. Laws against encampments, trespassing and panhandling cause homeless people to be evicted from their dwellings, result in the destruction of their belongings, and restrict their free speech right to ask for help. When government restricts these essential, life-sustaining activities, it wrongly makes it a crime for homeless people to attempt to survive.

Resources

Published: 
Thursday, December 22, 2016
People who lack adequate housing still create for themselves homes. They have privacy rights
Published: 
Friday, October 14, 2016
While the City moves to develop sustainable, long-term solutions to the homelessness crisis, it must also abandon the ineffective, inhumane policy of chasing Seattle’s homeless population from place to place. Seattle currently lacks adequate housing for the number of individuals living outdoors.  People will live outdoors because they have no choice. 
Published: 
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
An ordinance crafted by the ACLU, Columbia Legal Services, and other allies provides a fair, balanced, and compassionate response to people living without shelter in Seattle.
News Release, Published: 
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
The ACLU-WA and allies are pointing local officials statewide to an important Dept. of Justice brief. It explains that when there is insufficient shelter space, cities that prosecute homeless people for sleeping or camping in public places violate the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

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