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US Should Provide Better Access to Homeless Shelters - Advocacy Groups

© AFP 2023 / Robyn BeckMen sit along a street in Skid Row in Los Angeles, California
Men sit along a street in Skid Row in Los Angeles, California - Sputnik International
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Homeless advocacy groups say that homeless in the United States are often subject to economic discrimination and harassment that will be solved once they are given the dignity of safe shelter and housing.

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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Tens of thousands of homeless in the United States are often subject to economic discrimination and harassment that will be solved once they are given the dignity of safe shelter and housing, homeless advocacy groups told Sputnik.

“Homeless people and law enforcement interact on a regular basis and there are occasionally examples of police brutality and harassment against the homeless population — but often times it goes unreported,” National Coalition for the Homeless Community Organizing Director Michael Stoops told Sputnik on Monday.

Stoops explained that US police are out daily enforcing so-called “quality of life laws” that prohibit camping, sleeping on the streets and panhandling, which constitutes economic profiling targeting the homeless or those perceived to be homeless.

“Cities have been criminalizing homelessness for decades and it hasn’t solved the issue. It has made life more difficult for people experiencing homelessness. Until we have shelter and housing for all there should be a moratorium on the enforcement of any laws that target someone because they are sleeping, camping, or sitting on the sidewalk,” Stoops said.

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Thousands of homeless are vulnerable across the United States, many of whom are victims of crime or are committing crimes, National Alliance to End Homelessness Vice President for Programs and Policy Steve Berg told Sputnik.

“Why anyone would think that you could have thousands of very vulnerable people living outside without horrific things happening all the time is amazing to me. There are horrific things happening every day… and the real problem is people need real housing and instead they are being left to live outside,” Berg said.

Berg explained that many homeless suffer from mental illness, which poses unique challenges to law enforcement and to city authorities.

“The solution to the problem of people with mental illness living on the street has been well known for a longtime — get them housing, get them the mental health treatment they need… and when that happens people are much better off and it costs taxpayers less money,” Berg concluded.

There are an estimated 610,000 homeless in the United States, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

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