Rene Rodriguez’s Post

We have the data. We have the evidence and yet nothing ever seems to change. Despite pledges from police forces across England and Wales, this report reveals that between 2018 and 2022 “Black people (are) imprisoned for rough sleeping are double the percentage of the overall Black British population”.   We know homelessness is a complex issue in the UK as it is all over the world. However, branding being homeless as a ‘lifestyle choice’ for instance plants seeds in the mind of the public that all homeless people are choosing to be so. Years of austerity, lack of affordable social housing, soaring rental prices, cuts to mental health services, and social care, and impacts of  the living crisis and COVID-19 will no doubt have had some impact on record homelessness in the UK. The number of people sleeping rough in England rose to 3,069 in 2022 after falling significantly during the pandemic It has also been reported that some of the rise in rough sleeping has been attributed to changes in Home Office policy. Where unprecedented number of asylum claims are being processed to clear the backlog leaving many people with inadequate time to prepare before they must leave Home Office accommodation.   Words matter as they lay the foundations of our actions. If some of the most vulnerable people in our society are spoken about and treated as second-rate citizens, and on top of that racism comes into play, who protects them if they do not receive any level of protection from the police due to prejudice and bias? https://lnkd.in/e9Sq4DfW #Homelessness #HomeOffice #Disparity #BlackUK #BlackExperience

#SupremeCourtofUSA upholds Oregon #ban on #homeless people camping outdoors. Social sciences point to a number of reasons for #homelessness. These can include #DeathofFamilyBreadwinner, #DomesticViolence, #SuddenIllness, #MentalIllness, #ChronicUnemployment, #ChildAbuse; which can all cause further deterioration of #mentalhealth and #substanceabuse issues. Admittedly, I am yet to read the full judgment. Still, I can't help but feel that if a country's judicial and political systems prioritise fighting homeless people over fighting the reasons behind homelessness, if they don't seem to have a credible system of #SeparationOfPowers, I would think twice before idolising their idea of #democracy or trusting their position as #TheWorldsPoliceman. I don't want this to be the norm anywhere in the world, let alone in Australia. https://lnkd.in/gtsWwDZf

San Francisco faces a pivotal choice, as Mr. Boudin rightly notes: will it be "beacon of progress or a cautionary tale of lost values?" SF's homelessness crisis mirrors a nationwide dilemma, yet we're stuck in a Groundhog Day cycle of re-upping on mass incarceration and policing, despite knowing effective solutions. We know what to do. It's time for action, not repetition. #housingisahumanright #housingcrisis #homelessness #housingjustice https://lnkd.in/gKaAAqn4

What's truly unfortunate about the City of Grants Pass staking out the "home rule" position on the issue of homelessness is that local jurisdictions are the least equipped to deal with anything but the symptoms of homelessness. Sweeping unhoused people under the rug - or off the streets - does nothing to address the underlying issues that lead to homelessness, which are myriad. Every unhoused person falls into housing insecurity at a different point in their lives - they may be born into it; they may be fleeing an abusive partner; they may be unable to care for themselves because of a traumatic brain injury; they may be a few hundred dollars short on rent. Many of the problems that lead to someone being on the streets (or perpetually couch-surfing) must be addressed at the national level, because they are the result of national policy decisions.

Here at Simon on the Streets, we belive that breaking the cycle of homelessness takes a collective effort and an approach based on supporting sustained and positive change. An approach based on criminalisation simply isn’t appropriate. As the Criminal Justice Bill continues to be the subject of some very heated debate, we’ve been taking a look at the strategies other countries are using to address homelessness, and what, if anything, we can learn. Take a look below. #blog #homelessness #CriminalJustiveBill

Seattle is no stranger to housing unaffordability, a rising homeless population, and ongoing discussions about public safety — situations that can often dehumanize unhoused people. In our latest op-ed, Michele Storms discusses how cities have frequently turned to criminalization to address homelessness, and now with the recent Supreme Court decision in Johnson v. Grants Pass, the door has been opened for further punitive measures against the most vulnerable. But, Storms argues, criminalization is not the answer. "The decision fits within a long history of governments turning to policing and incarceration as a solution to social issues. We cannot punish our way out of homelessness and poverty," writes Storms. "Arrest, fines, and incarceration only further entrench homelessness by separating people from essential support systems, perpetuating a cycle of instability that keeps people on the street." Read the full op-ed on the Emerald. https://lnkd.in/gCMaersN /// #Voices #Opinion #JohnsonVGrantsPass #Homeless #Unhoused #Housing #Seattle #SouthSeattle #SouthEnd

Devastating that vulnerable Noongar people committing suicide in the context of public housing evictions, including women victims of FDV. Much respected Advocate Betsy Buchanan has been a tireless supporter of Noongar people and highlights the injustice of housing evictions in this compelling Guardian series. https://lnkd.in/g4AxEW_B #humanrights #humanrightsviolations #suicide #suicideprevention #suicideawareness #aboriginalhealth #aboriginallivesmatter #racism #systemicracism #lawreform

I don't normally post about current events, let alone in the legal realm, but despite intense scrutiny of the Supreme Court in recent months, the decision to hear a critical case regarding homelessness policy has largely gone unnoticed and could have profound, far reaching, and deadly consequences for persons experiencing homelessness. The Court will hear an appeal regarding a past decision from the the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that prevents local governments from criminalizing the act of sleeping outside when there is insufficient shelter capacity to house those in need. We should all be deeply concerned at how various states and cities, especially those who claim to care about homelessness have criminalized taking care of basic needs when there is simply no other way to meet their needs. With no shelter or public restrooms is it any wonder that people often have to meet those needs in public spaces? More importantly though, is that when we jail and prosecute the homelessness for these "crimes" we make it immeasurably more difficult to eventually house them. With a criminal background, it can prove impossible to find work let alone rent an apartment. If you are forced to register as a sex offender because you had to urinate in public because every public restroom was denying you access, you can even be denied a shelter bed along with slim chance at work or housing. These barriers can, will, and do KILL PEOPLE. That is the cost of every day where our neighbors are left out in the freezing cold or scorching heat. The Supreme Court has the lives of countless souls in their hands... and if you're the praying type... now is the time. The Homeless Coalition, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless , Metro Denver Homeless Initiative , National Alliance to End Homelessness #homelessness #homelessnessawareness #housing https://lnkd.in/gn-MFShC

Criminalizing people experiencing poverty, homelessness, and mental health conditions has only created more harm. Our current spate of tactics—punishments, rather—only land people in greater debt and further entangled in the criminal legal system, which damages their job prospects and housing options going forward. We need to move away from our reliance on money bail, fines, and fees—as some states already have—and instead invest in community-driven solutions that meet people’s needs, including affordable housing and mental health services. These are real solutions.

Much of society views homelessness as a product of poor life choices or intrinsic personality deficiencies. This is a gross misconception. There are many reasons why someone may end up homeless and severe mental illness is a major influencing factor in a lot of cases. Tossing someone in jail with severe mental illness or who simply doesn’t have access to resources is not the answer. We need to work toward increasing community resources for homeless individuals so that there is better access to food, housing, healthcare (including mental healthcare), career counseling, rehabilitation services, transportation services, and wraparound services.