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Homelessness

Whether you live under a bridge or in a mansion makes no difference. In America, the Constitution applies to everybody. Unfortunately, cities and counties continue to pass laws that undermine basic human rights for people who are unhoused. Laws against encampments, trespassing and panhandling cause homeless people to be evicted from their dwellings, result in the destruction of their belongings, and restrict their free speech right to ask for help. When government restricts these essential, life-sustaining activities, it wrongly makes it a crime for homeless people to attempt to survive.

Resources

Published: 
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Published: 
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
As communities across the nation struggle with housing affordability crises, wage stagnation, and a shredded social safety net, all too often they have adopted panhandling ordinances that are unconstitutional and counterproductive.
Published: 
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Embedding mental health professionals in law enforcement teams saves lives.
Published: 
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Every person has the right to privacy in their home, regardless of whether that home is a lean-to on a roadside or a mansion on a mountain.
News Release, Published: 
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Today the ACLU of Washington is asking the U.S. District Court in Seattle to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the City of Seattle and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) from taking and throwing away property owned by people living outside.

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