HONOLULU — A new report says cities nationwide are enacting more policies that criminalize homelessness.
The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty said Tuesday many cities have banned living in vehicles, camping in public areas and panhandling.
The center says policies that criminalize homelessness harm communities because they create barriers to employment, housing and education.
Honolulu is among a handful of cities named in the report’s “hall of shame” for what the authors call bad policies. The report says Honolulu issued more than 16,000 warnings to people violating its sit-lie ban since it was enacted in Waikiki in 2014.
Honolulu officials say the ban is necessary so people can safely use public sidewalks and because tourists and residents complained.
Denver, Dallas and Puyallup, Washington, also were criticized for criminalizing policies.
