Outside the box

Downtown development is casting a spotlight on homelessness, but what are we doing about it?

(page 2 of 5)

A vicious cycle

Research shows that criminalization is the most expensive and least effective method of addressing homelessness, and wastes limited state and local resources. Yates said arresting and incarcerating people who are homeless is unproductive; it’s a temporary fix for a much more complicated problem. 

National estimates suggest that between 8 and 25 percent of incarcerated individuals have previously experienced homelessness. These figures are vastly disproportionate to the number of people facing homelessness nationwide, which is estimated at less than 1 percent of the population. This disparity can be attributed in part to the fact that many cities, Tulsa included, create and enforce laws that effectively make homelessness illegal. This includes criminalizing basic human behaviors such as sleeping, eating, and merely existing in various places. Nearly every citizen engages in these activities, but only certain people have the laws enforced against them. These laws target people without homes to remove them from parks and public spaces and to boost economic development in specific areas. Some people view the laws as discouraging people from “choosing” to be homeless. Many communities are criminalizing homelessness while simultaneously defunding social services.  

Our police force, funded by taxpayer dollars, is vital to Tulsans’ safety and wellbeing. It’s essential that this resource is dedicated to areas of greatest need—real crime concerns—rather than responding to someone sleeping outside a business or bathing in a fountain. Yates said we need a long-term solution.

 “Throwing people in jail for a night will not solve the issue,” he said. “The criminalization of homelessness, so to speak, will not solve the issue. Laws need to be enforced against criminals, and people that are truly homeless and truly in need, need help. And that is how we solve it, long term.” 

Cycling people through jails, court systems, shelters, emergency rooms, crisis centers and back to the streets costs millions in funds and resources, and it doesn’t address the root cause of homelessness. The cycle is nearly impossible for those stuck in it to escape: Criminal records can be a barrier to housing and employment, and barriers to housing and employment cause homelessness. The “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality is inadequate for this population. If you don’t have bootstraps—and you can’t access any due to a criminal record or lack of education, social support and resources—it’s hard to pull yourself up. Criminalizing homelessness locks the epidemic in place, and it ultimately costs taxpayers far more than other proven alternatives. 

A growing body of evidence consistently shows that housing people instead of jailing them is the most successful and cost-effective strategy for addressing homelessness. The “Housing First” approach prevents homelessness and recidivism and reduces emergency shelter stays by providing homeless people with free housing, followed by treatment programs and services. When Utah initiated a Housing First model, state spending decreased 34 percent, saving an average of $5,670 per formerly homeless person annually.  Housing First in central Florida saved an average of $21,000 per person annually.

Eric Tars, senior attorney at the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, said criminalization is communities’ biggest mistake and a major missed opportunity when addressing homelessness in growing downtown areas.  

 “When elected officials hear from their constituents that ‘something has to be done about the [visible] homeless problem in our communities,’ they assume that the best or only thing they can do is to criminalize homelessness, when in reality it’s the least effective and cost-effective of a wealth of options,” Tars said in an email to the Voice. “It just takes a little education … and for the community to show them the success of housing rather than criminalizing in meeting everyone’s (homeless persons, business, other community members) needs.”