Hi Maureen, thanks for this info! I haven't made it to the Steering Committee meetings in a couple months but I hope it's OK to give my two cents. I'm personally opposed to any law that would ever criminalize homelessness, even under conditions where other resources are available (and I think the Coalition should be opposed, too). People who are unhoused do not need more opportunities to interact with the police, spend time in jail, and receive fines/fees - these all have extremely negative consequences in someone's life and would have a disproportionately negative impact on people of color. Additionally, while there are good intentions to create resources that are universally available and accessible, I doubt that accessibility will be fully achieved. If someone refuses a different place to sleep, there is a reason for that, and involving them with the law won't solve the underlying problem. Finally, I believe these kinds of laws are made for the comfort of housed people to the detriment of unhoused people, and I don't think that's something the Coalition should support.

Thanks all,
Mary Connolly

On Thu, May 6, 2021 at 4:46 PM Maureen Howard <mhoward@pchomeless.org> wrote:
Greetings,
We met this morning with the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, CM Thoms and the City Attorney.

They gave us the attached revised ordinance which pretty much now has everything we asked for.  Please look it over and send me your thoughts, questions, ideas.  I've sent it to our "legal folks" - Tristia, Jennifer Ammons, Laurie Davenport and Kasey Burton for their review and comment.

We,  the six of us representing the Coalition, are not in agreement on the inclusion of either civil infraction and/or criminal misdemeanor.

We need as open and honest a conversation as we can have around this issue:

If we assume appropriate, accessible, and available shelter options for everyone experiencing homelessness, and someone refuses all options and camps in a public place, does the proposed response of first civil infractions and then criminal misdemeanor serve its intended purposes - tools to convince the person to accept shelter?

Or is the potential effect of the punishment disproportionate to the action of refusing shelter and camping on a public place?

And does this punishment fall disproportionately on people with disabilities, people of color, and other protected classes?

The City already has a trespassing law and a destruction of property law.  

With respect to timing of the ordinance, the City is reviewing our request that the first reading of the eventual ordinance be timed to align with the proposed date of Pierce County Council approval of the Shelter Plan (the Nov. 1, 2021 plan) - July 12.  

I've also attached the LFO study Laurie Davenport provided - it's a quick read and the data are clear about the effect of even small fines.

Thanks everyone,
Maureen

Maureen Howard
Senior Policy Analyst
Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness
3320 S. 8th St.
Tacoma, WA 98405

Tel.  253-756-8146 LL
        253-255-2200 cell

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