Elected officials in Des Moines, Iowa, have delayed a final reading of an ordinance seeking to ban camping on public property after advocates gathered thousands of signatures opposing the measure. However, advocates still have a lot of work ahead as the ordinance inches closer to becoming law.
The measure is an example of how far some cities are willing to go to punish homeless people for simply living outside when there is no other place for them to go. These efforts are happening after the Supreme Court ruled in June that fining and arresting homeless people for sleeping outside is not considered “cruel and unusual punishment.”
“There are people from all over the nation who are paying attention to what’s going on right now,” Jamie Nicolino, who organized a petition opposing Des Moines’ camping ban, told local news station We Are Iowa. “I think it’s really important for our city council and our mayor to really look at that and think about the legacies that they want to leave behind.”
Widespread Use of Camping Bans
Camping bans were already one of the most common ways that cities police homelessness before the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Johnson v. Grants Pass. Research from the National Homelessness Law Center found that citywide bans on camping increased by 92% between 2006 and 2019. More than 187 cities have such laws on their books in all, the research found.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, many states and municipalities with growing homeless populations have enacted laws that increased penalties for people who sleep outside. For instance, Kentucky lawmakers passed a bill in March that prohibits camping near roadways and prohibits the state from using tax dollars for Housing First initiatives. That happened at a time when the federal Point-in-Time Count found that homelessness in Kentucky had increased from 3,984 people in 2022 to more than 4,700 in 2023.
In Des Moines, homelessness has increased by roughly 11% year-over-year, according to federal data. More than 700 people experienced homelessness on any given night in 2023, which is the highest total ever counted in the city. However, advocates say the city does not have enough shelter space to serve all of these people.
Shelter Space Shortages in Iowa
Federal data shows that Iowa has 1,533 shelter beds statewide, which increased by 43 beds year-over-year. However, the number of homeless people in the state grew by 249 households between 2022 and 2023. That is putting additional pressure on shelter providers like Pascha Morgan with The Bridge Home, a shelter in Des Moines. Morgan said the shelter has a 22-bed capacity and is expected to serve people in five counties.
The city’s lack of resources and shelter for people experiencing homelessness was one reason why 12 members of the local clergy penned an op-ed opposing the ordinance. They also argued that levying criminal punishments for being homeless robs people of their dignity.
“This proposed ordinance criminalizes the basic human need for sleep, creating a sinister divide between those who have the security of shelter and those who are forced to sleep without it,” the op-ed reads in part.
Despite the community’s pushback, local officials in Des Moines seem adamant about passing the camping ban ordinance. City Manager Scott Sanders told the Des Moines Register that the city staff is working to remove barriers to shelter, like establishing an agreement with the local animal shelter to hold pets while their owner is in a shelter. Sanders said these directives need to be in place before the ordinance passes.
The Des Moines city council is expected to discuss the ordinance a final time on September 16.
How You Can Help
The pandemic proved that we need to rethink housing in the United States. It also showed that aid programs work when agencies and service organizations have sufficient funds and clear guidance on spending aid dollars.
Contact your officials and representatives. Tell them you support keeping many of the pandemic-related aid programs in place for future use. They have proven effective at keeping people housed, which is the first step to ending homelessness.
