CRIMINALIZING HOMELESSNESS

PARKING | LAUNDRY | RESTROOMS Why would someone decide to sleep in their car? How many loads of laundry do you do in a week? Where do you go when you need to use the bathroom? How often do you wash your hair and brush your teeth? Who do you talk to when you have no place to park your vehicle 'legally' because you have no place of residence? How many municipal infractions for sitting & laying in public are you cited before you are given a warrant? What does it cost to retrieve your vehicle after it has been impounded for parking citations? How often are you considered suspicious for using a laundry facility? How often are you criticized for the way you smell or the conditions of unwashed clothing? Where do you use the bathroom at 1 a.m. if you wake up and need to go? Where do you sleep at night? These are the questions we are asking because these are the fines and charges being placed on Bellingham, WA residents because they are unhoused and in transition with no other recourse but to reside on the street. Let's consider the proactive alternatives of providing public facilities such as restrooms, parking, and laundry services, as well as storage for items that will be ruined or stolen without a safe place to put them, and most importantly, HOUSING. The time is NOW. Criminalizing people for conditions that have already placed them in a predicament of hardship and vulnerability is unjust. Justice for our unhoused residents begins with examining where our legal system and penalties conflict with human rights and dignity and only worsen their situation. Visit https://www.nlchp.org/housing