The Redwood City Council passed a ban on homeless encampments, enabling misdemeanor charges for those who refuse available shelter after two warnings. The ordinance stipulates a penalty of up to $100 or jail time for non-compliance, with quicker removal processes in sensitive areas. Despite the approval, some council members and community advocates criticized the ban, arguing it criminalizes homelessness and could lead to further isolation of vulnerable populations. There is concern that the ordinance will not effectively address homelessness in the community.
My concern is that we're setting ourselves up for failure, overpromising and underdelivering. This isn't going to solve homelessness and we're not going to see the number of encampments drop overnight.
Our city vision is a community where all people of backgrounds and income levels can thrive, but how can we achieve that if we arrest people just for being unhoused?
For a certain segment of the population, housing is necessary, but not sufficient. There are multiple offers of housing given, and they're given a lot of time.
The ban allows the homeless living in an encampment to be charged with a misdemeanor if they've been given two warnings, decline shelter and that shelter is available.
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