{"id":7500,"date":"2021-10-27T09:13:04","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T14:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/empowermissouri.org\/?p=7500"},"modified":"2021-10-27T18:40:30","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T23:40:30","slug":"incarceration-cannot-be-our-solution-for-solving-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowermissouri.org\/es\/incarceration-cannot-be-our-solution-for-solving-homelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"Incarceration Cannot Be Our Solution For Solving Homelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Homelessness and poverty are not crimes. However, in many communities across Missouri, it is treated like one. Police involvement in the form of \u2018camp sweeps\u2019 is often the method used to move people who are houseless out of the areas they have made their home. Springfield, Missouri can be used as a case study for this inhumane phenomenon. In a city of over 150,000 people, the poverty rate in2019 was 23%. The COVID-19 global pandemic has disproportionately impacted low wage earners and people of color, including in Springfield. The city\u00a0 has a much higher-than-average rate of homelessness. Springfield City Councilwoman Heather Hardinger states in <\/span>an interview<\/a><\/span><\/strong> that in 2021 there are \u201cmore [people who are] homeless in the last 18 months than I\u2019ve ever seen in the past 16 years that I\u2019ve lived in Springfield.\u201d While there are amazing organizations in the area that provide emergency shelter, food, and affordable housing, the resources are not enough to support the growing population of households in a financial crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n

The city\u2019s solution has largely been to criminalize people who are homeless by forcing them out of public and private spaces,<\/span> frequently clearing large encampments<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, and leaving folks with\u00a0 little to no notice to leave . If they do not leave their camp, they face arrest and fines they often cannot pay. Camp sweeps are particularly violent, as individuals must carry everything they own or it is thrown away. Our houseless neighbors report losing cash, medications, personal items, and clothing in sweeps. At city council meetings, it is not uncommon to hear the <\/span>complaints of community members<\/a><\/span><\/strong> who want shelters or affordable housing projects closed or moved away from their neighborhoods. This kind of dialogue only furthers the ostracization of people who are unhoused and will not solve homelessness.. The Community Partnership of the Ozarks, a local nonprofit that which operates programs for homeless care recommends:<\/span><\/p>\n