Housing Help, Not Handcuffs: Criminalization of Homelessness and Street Outreach as an Alternative
Wednesday, August 3rd, from 12-2PM on Zoom
Do you work or live in a place where unhoused people spend their time? What do you do when you encounter someone who may be experiencing homelessness? Often times we see someone in crisis and turn to emergency services for help. However, this can often do more harm than good.
The criminalization of poverty and homelessness has long-lasting effects for both the individuals and the community. Join NEOCH to learn about those effects, laws that target unhoused people, and how NEOCH's outreach team can help when you meet someone experiencing homelessness.
We’ll hear from NEOCH Street Outreach worker Jonathan “2Braids” Harris, who has experienced homelessness and continues to support people living on the street, as he shares on-the-ground knowledge of what unhoused people are going through, and how we can support them.
Housing Justice Community Organizer, Josiah Quarles, will outline the historical timeline of how poverty has been penalized in our country, and draw lines to today’s housing crisis.
Attorney Joseph Mead will discuss modern ordinances used to target poor and unhoused people, what legal efforts are being made to curb these practices, and where further advocacy is needed.
NEOCH’s Outreach Director, Liam Haggerty, will give details on how our services can help unsheltered people gain access to housing, medical care, public benefits and more.
You will leave with informational resources you can share with unhoused people when you meet them, and increased skill in how to interact with this vulnerable population.