The State of Florida has seen an increase in laws that criminalize homelessness. These laws punish
our neighbors who have no other choice but to sleep on the streets. We
are now seeing a well-funded, coordinated push for those laws in States across
the Nation. It is more expensive to criminalize (either jail an individual or fine an individual) or ignore homelessness than it is to solve it.
Local, State and Federal studies agree - the only way cost-effective way to end homelessness is to provide housing and client-centered supportive services to keep them housed.
Florida Coalition to End Homelessness encourages local municipalities to lean on the expertise of the Homeless Continuums of Care partner agencies for housing focused outreach and engagement to house individuals with the appropriate supports to keep the individual housed.
FCEH also supports the work of
Housing Not Handcuffs, a national campaign created by the National Homelessness
Law Center and the National Coalition for the Homeless to end the
criminalization of homelessness and to advocate for housing as a human
right.
Learn more about the Statewide data, the National Data and more information on the criminalization of homelessness below.
Housing
first provides stable, affordable, and accessible housing to people
experiencing homelessness quickly and without prerequisites, and client
specific services are offered to assist with housing stability and well-being.
Housing first can be adapted to address the unique needs in local communities
and tailored to the challenges facing individuals. Housing first is not
housing only, which is often cited as proof that it is not effective. Our data proves that Housing First Works - 96%
of all individuals enrolled in Permanent Supportive Housing remain in or move to other permanent
housing.
Housing First Evidence
High Cost High Needs Pilot
NAEH Housing First Fact Sheet
Graphic with Links (NAEH)
The Cost of Homelessness
Florida Council on Homelessness 2024 Report
We call on Leaders (local Government and law enforcement) to engage with your local Continuums of Care through creating Homeless Outreach Teams (HOT) teams and/or work through existing outreach teams to find solutions, rather than making the situations worse. Fining and jailing individuals just because they are homelessness does not solve homelessness, instead - it makes it harder to solve the problem.
The solution to homelessness is safe, decent, and affordable housing for everyone. Experts agree, its less costly to house an individual than to jail them.
5 Things You Should Know About Homelessness
FCEH Response to Unauthorized Camping Legislation
FCEH Response to Grants Pass vs. Johnson
Housing Not Handcuffs Website
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness