Fremont encampment ban won’t help homeless people, but that’s not what politicians care about

Written By Evolve California

Regarding “One of the Bay Area’s harshest homeless encampment bans just passed. What will it do?” (Bay Area, SFChronicle.com, Feb. 12): Fremont’s new homeless encampment ban is a senseless, cruel and dangerous policy that will do nothing to help the homelessness crisis. 

There are about 600 unhoused people in Fremont and far from enough shelter beds for them. Maybe it’s not the intention of this ban to criminalize homelessness, but in effect, that is what it does. Good intentions won’t create someplace for these people to go.

Many public comments cited “safety concerns,” yet it is exponentially more unsafe to be homeless. Living on the street can be a death sentence, and taking away the ability of nonprofits to help our unhoused neighbors will only make it more deadly.

Politicians are more concerned with political posturing than actually doing something to help the most vulnerable in our communities. This ban should be repealed, and politicians should focus on ensuring everyone has a safe place to sleep before trying to take away the only place many people have to live.

Maggie Angst / The Chronicle

Evolve California
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