With more people likely to become homeless, making homelessness a crime is the wrong thing to do
“We are outraged by the Trump Administration’s executive order to criminalize homelessness—a policy that is not only offensive and in direct violation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision, the basic tenets of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Rhode Island Homeless Bill of Rights, but a cruel affront to human rights and dignity,” said the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness.
Donald Trump issued a needlessly cruel Executive
Order entitled “Ending
Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” on July 24. “Endemic vagrancy,
disorderly behavior, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks have made our
cities unsafe,” says the order, without evidence. The order prioritizes federal
funds to municipalities that enforce bans on public camping and require
sobriety before receiving services, reversing the “housing
first” strategy that has proven effective in combating homelessness,
poverty, and substance use.
The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness statement continues:
“This order attempts to turn Rhode Islanders against our own
neighbors, our veterans, and people with disabilities, by labeling people
experiencing homelessness as undesirable simply because they lack a place to
live. It ignores the root causes of homelessness and instead seeks to punish
those already in crisis. Moreover, the Trump Administration’s recent actions
will likely contribute to homelessness.
“Medical debt is a significant contributor to homelessness
in the United States, and Trump’s recently passed federal budget slashes
healthcare for thousands of the poorest and most vulnerable Rhode Islanders.
These cuts will overwhelm our healthcare system, push more families into debt,
and potentially lead directly to more homelessness.
“Furthermore, Rhode Island does not have the inpatient
psychiatric capacity to absorb the wave of institutionalization this executive
order proposes. Nor should we return to failed and inhumane policies that strip
people of autonomy and treat poverty and illness as crimes. These actions will
also cost taxpayers far more than proven, effective Housing First strategies,
which help people achieve stability and permanent housing through voluntary,
supportive services.
“Our communities deserve better. People experiencing
homelessness deserve better.
“We call on Rhode Island’s elected leaders to stand firm
against these dehumanizing efforts. We will not allow fear and misinformation
to erode the rights and protections that Rhode Islanders have fought hard to
secure. We remain committed to advancing evidence-based solutions that protect
rights, restore dignity, and end homelessness for good.”
Trump’s Executive Order is very much in line with the
strategies of Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee and Providence
Mayor Brett Smiley, who have pursued the course President Trump outlines [See: Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here,
and countless
other stories I did at Uprise RI.]
“We strongly condemn yesterday’s Executive Order from
the Trump Administration regarding the policing of unhoused
individuals and proposed actions that, if implemented, will only exacerbate the
homelessness crisis,” said the Housing Network of Rhode Island.
The Housing Network of Rhode Island’s statement continues:
“The order is riddled with inaccurate and harmful
stereotypes about people experiencing homelessness and housing instability. It
ignores the root causes of homelessness–including the lack of affordable
housing, systemic inequalities, lack of access to health care, and stagnant
wages.
“Guised as a public safety solution to ‘restore public
order,’ the executive order promotes misguided threats to institutionalize the
most vulnerable Americans and dehumanizes our neighbors, some of whom are
families, veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities.
“Above all, the Executive Order fails to consider proven
solutions to homelessness and housing instability, chief among them the urgent
need to expand affordable housing and supportive services nationwide.
“For these reasons, we unequivocally condemn this order.”
A bill to strengthen Rhode Island’s Homeless Bill of Rights,
which, if passed, may have blunted the worst excesses of Trump’s
Executive Order, failed to get out of committee during the General Assembly’s
latest session.
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