Criminalization of homelessness in Colorado has not gone away. If anything, it has gotten worse.
Communities in Colorado have passed more than 350 ordinances criminalizing nearly everything that a person who is homeless needs to do to survive, including asking for charity, seeking food, sitting, sleeping or resting pretty much anywhere, from a public bench to their own parked car.
Tell the House Local Government Committee to end criminalization of homelessness by supporting the Right to Rest Act.
These measures have nothing to do with public safety, they waste taxpayer dollars, and they fill our courts and jails with people who don't deserve to be there. They do nothing to address the actual causes of homelessness – just criminalize it, hide it from sight, or drive it somewhere else.
On Wednesday, March 14, the House Local Government Committee will vote on the Right to Rest Act, a bill to ensure that all people, regardless of their economic circumstances or social status, have the right to exist in public places without fear of being ticketed, harassed, or arrested.
The solution to homelessness and poverty is not criminalization.
Please contact the House Local Government Committee today and urge them to support the Right to Rest Act.
