Demand Real Solutions to Homelessness in Hagerstown, Not Criminalization
Hagerstown City Council
Hagerstown’s anti-encampment ordinance punishes unhoused residents for lacking shelter. Without ensuring they have anywhere else to go. This isn’t a solution. It’s a symptom of a deeper failure to care for the most vulnerable in our community.
We’re calling on the Hagerstown City Council to adopt humane, effective measures during this ordinance’s trial period:
✅ A public housing resource coordinator
✅ Funding from fines redirected to homeless services
✅ A 24/7 crisis center, or no renewal of the ordinance
We are all closer to homelessness than wealth. Sign this petition to demand compassion over criminalization. and to push our city toward real, lasting solutions.
Petition by
To:
Hagerstown City Council
From:
[Your Name]
Housing is a Human Right.
We are all closer to homelessness than wealth.
We, the undersigned, urge the Hagerstown City Council to adopt humane, effective, and accountable steps during the anti-encampment ordinance’s trial period:
1. Appoint a Housing Resources Coordinator
Work with the Hagerstown Police Department to appoint a housing resources coordinator with a public phone number accessible to all unhoused residents seeking support.
2. Reinvest Fines into Homeless Services
Require that 100% of fines collected from unhoused individuals be redirected into shelter, food, mental health, and housing resources.
3. Open a 24/7 Crisis Center
Make the launch of a crisis center a priority. If a fully operational crisis center is not available by the end of the trial period, the ordinance must not be renewed.
Homelessness is a symptom, not the problem. Criminalizing unhoused residents without a safety net only deepens poverty and inequality.