Rather than invest in affordable housing and appropriate treatment, many cities and counties have sought to make homelessness invisible by criminalizing it.  These laws can take many forms, such as prohibiting asking for money, prohibiting sleeping or camping in public, prohibiting the of holding signs, or prohibiting simply being in a public place after hours. Not only are these laws cruel, they are counterproductive.  Arresting and jailing people for crimes of poverty does nothing to address the underlying causes of homelessness, and only further exacerbates them.

We also work to end oppressive bail practices, which keep people in jail simply because they cannot afford to pay bail.  Remaining in jail can have disastrous consequences for employment, housing, childcare, and makes it more difficult to fight your criminal case.  Your wealth should not determine whether you remain incarcerated.

To see past examples of this work, please see the Our Work page.