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Los Angeles is the nation’s “meanest” city according to a new report on homelessness. Homes not Handcuffs tracks the growing trend of the criminalization of homelessness in American cities. The study, conducted by two groups: the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, and the National Coalition for the Homeless, studied 273 cities, and ranked the top ten “Meanest Cities” with LA taking away the first prize. San Francisco and Berkeley also placed in the top ten worst cities on homelessness. According to one of the groups’ spokespersons, “[H]omelessness in America is a human rights crisis …But while some cities offer a helping hand, too often cities adopt unjust laws and practices that punish people simply for being poor and homeless.” Law enforcement practices can exacerbate the problem instead of addressing the underlying causes of homelessness. According to a UCLA study in September 2007, LA spent $6 million a year to pay for extra police as part of its Safe City Initiative to crack down on crime on Skid Row while at the same time the city allocated only $5.7 million for homeless services. The report recommends that cities adopt more constructive measures, such as allocating more city funds for permanent housing, job training and services. The report also commends cities like Daytona Beach, Cleveland and Portland for putting such measures into practice.

GUEST: Tulin Ozdeger, Civil Rights Program Director with the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty

For more information, visit www.nlchp.org.