HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Democratic lawmakers in both chambers of the Pennsylvania State Capitol are pushing for legislation that would decriminalize homelessness.
“We are experiencing, right now, one of the most severe crises of housing and homelessness that this country has ever seen,” said Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia).
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The Commonwealth is also experiencing a rising number of unhoused individuals, according to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The legislation, known as the “Shelter First Act,” would allow people experiencing homelessness to “conduct life-sustaining activity in public spaces when no reasonable, alternative options for housing are offered or available.”
That said, municipalities would also be required to provide “adequate indoor spaces” for individuals experiencing homelessness before the municipality could enforce any ordinance that would criminalize living outside.
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“This is not a somewhere else problem, this is a Central Pennsylvania and Lancaster County problem,” said Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El (D-Lancaster). “I think we have to ask ourselves if we want money to be spent incarcerating people, or if we want that money to be spent bringing our neighbors home.”
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