The short version:

On Monday, June 25, Columbus City Council voted unanimously to pass legislation criminalizing "aggressive panhandling." These laws sound reasonable on the surface, but they are a wolf in sheep's clothing, intended to give those who want to push the vulnerable and desperate out of plain sight, while doing nothing to provide for their most basic, human needs. This policy comes at a time when more and more cities are tightening their restrictions on the rights of poor and homeless populations. Now more than ever, we must come together to support and protect our homeless community.

Until we get some real solutions on the table, we are all at risk. Columbus is growing and developing, but the affordable housing market is not keeping up. With our decimated safety net, tens of thousands of Columbus residents are only one health crisis, one divorce, one layoff away from homelessness.

We're calling in all those who believe that extreme poverty is not — and should never be — a crime. We know Columbus can do more to address the root causes of homelessness, and invest in solutions that will house, employ and uplift our homeless community.

We believe that Columbus is strongest when we provide pathways to education and employment, not jail time. Sign up here to be a part of the growing team of Columbus residents working to shift our city's approach toward investing in homes, rather than handcuffs. We'll be in touch with you shortly!

The long version:

We believe that Columbus's homeless population have the same rights as us all: the right to free speech, to move freely through public spaces and to feel safe in our city.

Unfortunately, the rights of homeless residents are often violated at every turn. The criminalization of homelessness is on the rise across the country, and more and more cities are passing laws that classify consequences of extreme poverty — things like sleeping outside, asking for money or "loitering" — as criminal acts.

Cities that criminalize homelessness often tell a single story. They depict panhandlers as manipulative, scheming, aggressive and a threat to business. They say criminalization is going to improve public safety, public health and small businesses. They deny the all-too-common reality that police officers and business owners will misuse their power to arrest homeless people they see as an inconvenience, and that LGBTQ and people of color are most at risk.

But we know there’s another story. In this story, people who panhandle are victims of economics, a living, walking example of the failures of our social safety net and affordable housing crisis. In this story, people who panhandle deserve our commitment to building a better system. Panhandlers show us how things really are in our “Opportunity City,” and they deserve our respect.

The research backs it up: Criminalization measures do nothing to address the underlying causes of homelessness. Instead, they only worsen the problem. Misusing police power to arrest homeless people is only a temporary intervention, and most people are jailed for short periods of time. Arrested homeless people then return to their communities, still with nowhere to live and now laden with court fees they cannot pay. Moreover, criminal records – even for minor crimes –create barriers to obtaining critical public benefits, employment, or housing, thus making homelessness more difficult to escape.

There are real, community-led solutions that we can turn to. In Columbus, two coalition forces have recently mapped out plans that would tackle these issues at the root. The Community Shelter Board has a plan to effectively end homelessness in Columbus and The Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio is ready to close the gap in affordable housing.

Together, we can build a housing system that works for all of us. Solutions like these are going to take a significant investment from the City if they are to come to fruition. That means investing in housing and supportive services, the coordination of existing services for Columbus's homeless persons, and improve police training and practices related to homelessness.

We believe that Columbus is strongest when we provide pathways to education and employment, not jail time. Sign up here to be a part of the growing team of Columbus residents working to shift our city's approach toward investing in homes, rather than handcuffs. We'll be in touch with you shortly!