San Bernardino, California, is moving closer to a stricter anti-camping policy to prevent residents experiencing homelessness from sleeping in public spaces across the city.
Here's what to know
The Press-Enterprise reported that the measure would ban camping and sleeping in city parks and prevent people from lying on streets, sidewalks, and benches. It would also bar encampment activity within 500 feet of colleges, schools, daycare centers, or cancer treatment facilities.
If the city clears an encampment, it would have to provide 72-hour notice beforehand and store property taken during the cleanup for 90 days. San Bernardino City Attorney Albert Maldonado said violations could result in misdemeanors, administrative fines, or civil penalties.
According to Maldonado, the city is changing its approach to match county regulations after the Supreme Court's 2024 City of Grants Pass v. Johnson decision.
"That Supreme Court decision allows for local agencies to take criminal actions against unhoused individuals when they are camping in public places and posing a threat to the life, health, and safety of those around them," Maldonado said, as The Press-Enterprise relayed. "This ordinance brings it into alignment with what the county did."
A final vote is expected Oct. 7 after San Bernardino City Council members unanimously approved a first reading of the updated ordinance at their Sept. 16 meeting, according to The Press-Enterprise.
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More background
Despite ongoing efforts to address homelessness, a city staff report said encampments remain, creating "significant risks to public health and safety, including increased fire hazards, accumulation of waste, obstruction of public access, and public health risks."
City spokesperson Jeff Kraus said in an email that multiple departments and personnel would be involved in enforcement efforts, including the Housing and Homeless Department outreach staff, Public Works, Code Enforcement, and local police.
Officials did not say whether additional resources would be offered to displaced people displaced.
As Johns Hopkins reported, however, it is crucial to keep offering housing to people experiencing homelessness. Criminalizing homelessness makes it harder for people to get what they need. Providing living spaces like tiny homes and treating people like people as they rebuild their lives can make recovering from homelessness a lot easier.
What's being done?
According to the staff report, the city has sought public housing grants, teamed up with local agencies and nonprofits to provide shelter, and developed city-owned shelters for vulnerable populations.
The Press-Enterprise also reported that, in July, a 140-bed homeless shelter funded by a $34.9 million Homekey grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development opened.
Kraus also said that the city has over 1,000 emergency shelter beds and can also issue hotel vouchers, adding that they are working in tandem with the County, Veterans Affairs, and nonprofits.
"That said, as a condition to receiving most services, an individual must adhere to a set of rules, meet with a case worker, and work toward case-specific goals and milestones," Kraus said.
Where can I learn more?
As housing prices go up and more places criminalize homelessness, more people are finding it harder to survive.
• In Utah, a van dweller counted as homeless on public land highlighted murky enforcement lines.
• Near Zion National Park, officials banned free camping as enforcement tightened on public land.
• Voters in Redwood City, California, will weigh rent cap and tenant protections amid housing strain.
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