Criminalization of Homelessness | Street Sense Media

A photograph of people of different races holding hands.

White, Yellow or Black

Artist and vendor Laticia Brock shares a poem about the criminalization of homelessness.

Black and white photo of man walking downtown, slumping with a heavy blanket over his shoulders. He is presumably homeless.

Unhoused people are more frequently victims of hate crimes, report says

The National Coalition for the Homeless released its latest report on hate crimes against homeless people in December of 2018.

Compassion is needed in the cold

Andre Brinson writes about an experience with a police officer on an extremely cold night.

Mr. Burns

Laticia Brock shares a poem about police harassment.

Photo of a Lyft scooter parked between a parking meter and a row of newspaper boxes.

Lyft offers a low-income discount on scooters in DC. It also lobbied against a tax to fund shelter beds in San Francisco.

Lyft started a pilot program offering 400 scooters in D.C., and residents with proof of low-income who qualify for a form of “welfare” like Medicaid or SNAP, can get a Lyft scooter subscription for just $5 per month. Low-income residents in D.C. have less access to public transportation like the Metro.

The non-solution solutions to end homelessness

The Western Regional Advocacy Project discusses common “solutions” to poverty that, while having the best of intentions, do not stop the epidemic of homelessness and waste millions of dollars.

Philip Alston, center, speaks with residents of Skid Row in Los Angeles, California. Tents and debris line the sidewalk behind them. A photographer and assistance follow.

United Nations report: The U.S. has the wealth to end homelessness and chooses not to

United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston visited several locations throughout the United States to observe and report on extreme poverty and its human rights implications.

D.C. Council examines city’s bathroom shortage

The D.C. Council Committee on Transportation and the Environment held a public hearing Jan. 10 to discuss Bill 22-0223, the Public Restroom Facilities Installation and Promotion Act of 2017. The bill seeks to increase access to restrooms in downtown neighborhoods where they are scarce. Community representatives testified to the benefit such an initiative would have for tourists, residents, and the homeless alike.

Photo of the back of a U.S. Marshal facing a home while other officers stand around the house in the background.

D.C. ACLU sues U.S. Marshals for degrading eviction

The American Civil Liberties Union D.C. filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Marshals Service for an eviction that occurred in June 2015, where marshals entered the home of a woman with weapons drawn and evicted her and her twelve-year-old daughter.

Janet Sharp presents PFFC's Downtown D.C. Public Restroom Committee 2015 inventory findings. She compares two maps: the more numerous public restrooms in downtown London versus the few public restrooms in downtown D.C.

D.C. needs public toilets

A Street Sense Media vendor shares her views on the availability of public restrooms.

McKinney-Vento 30th Anniversary 2017 Awards Ceremony: Empathy Matters

A description of the McKinney-Vento Awards and the law behind them.

Gone home

A poem about rights.

Count your blessings

Betty Everett reminds us to love what we have.

DC benches are disappearing

Debora Brantley speaks out against hostile architecture.

Don’t define me by where I sleep

Jacquelyn Portee tells her story.

A photo showing 3 officers restraining a man, who is on his knees screaming, as others look on. A police tape line runs in front of them and the orange of a city dump truck is visible behind them.

“Where else can we go?” ask residents of an embattled D.C. homeless encampment

One man was arrested while resisting a group eviction of homeless people illegally camping in tents on public space across from the U.S. State Department. Two cleanups were held over seven days. Tents returned to the area both nights.

Advocates, homeless people, and formerly homeless people, including Edith Glasco, gather to oppose the HSRA bill in the Wilson building.

Controversial HSRA bill passes first vote

In Nov. 7th vote D.C. council passes the Homeless Services Reform Act of 2017 and debated several additional changes. The bill governs qualifications and rights for people in the human services system, the act must pass a second vote in D.C. council.