As homelessness grows, even havens toughen up

"Citizens are frustrated that they have come forward with shelters and soup kitchens ... and yet the number of people on the street is growing," says Nan Roman, executive director of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Surveys show 3 million people will be homeless for some part of the year. Another 7.9 million have "worst case" housing needs, with over half their incomes going to housing. And according to the NLCHP's most recent survey, no US city has sufficient shelter for its homeless.

What makes the current crackdowns ironic - and different from the past, say Ms. Foscarinis and others - is that communities are pinpointing groups that try to help the homeless. Orlando, Fla., for instance, is considering a law to limit charity groups' feeding of the hungry in a downtown park to four times a year.

Here in Santa Monica, authorities say they're trying to limit the involvement of social service groups from Culver City on the south to Malibu on the north. "These people are well meaning, but when you suggest to them that they are encouraging a part of the population we are trying to not encourage, they say we are interfering with their personal mission," says Mr. Genser.

And authorities are attacking the issue in new ways. In Minneapolis, for instance, it's a crime to create an odor. And though state laws preempt Santa Monica on trespassing legislation, the city has made public defecation a health issue. Mayor Michael Feinstein, who voted against the current measures, calls them "a dishonest application of current health laws."

Such debate fuels the already contentious discussions that have gone on for years. One side holds that removing the homeless from public view does nothing to alleviate underlying social problems - from unemployment, to lack of job training and education, to substance abuse and housing shortages. The other side says handouts do nothing to link homeless people to social networks they need. But both sides call for intense consciousness-raising on the issue.

"People are erroneously calling this ... 'compassion fatigue,' " says Rawson. "We are not against helping these people. Far from it. We just think people need to stand back ... and write their checks to full-service agencies and to volunteer. Those are the ways to get these people off the streets."

Foscarinis agrees. But in the meantime, she says, that doesn't justify inhumane laws that penalize those who are trying to help.

In some cities, like Fort Lauderdale, Fla., police and homeless advocates are working to refer people to public services rather than arrest them. A new center was created to increase the availability of services, and police are trained to better understand homelessness. Philadelphia drew censure from homeless advocates in 1998, when its controversial Sidewalk Behavior Ordinance criminalized some activities of homeless people. But in 1999, the city allocated an additional $5.6 million for shelter and outreach, along with policies to improve police interactions.

Foscarinis and others are also encouraged that Congress approved a new law protecting homeless children's rights last year. In October, the Social Security Administration proposed removing barriers to benefits for disabled homeless. There's also been progress on making sure homeless people can get food stamps even without a fixed address.

In the middle of it are the homeless themselves, who say they feel pushed aside by laws limiting their access to public places. "These new laws are both immoral and inhumane," says Viper Meade, who's spent much of her life homeless. "They are just saying if you have housing it's OK to eat and sleep in public, but if not, you better scram because you are less than human."

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