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N.J. Suburb Passes Controversial Measure to Manage Its Homeless Population
- Summit, one of New Jersey's wealthiest suburbs, passed a revised ordinance in June 2024 to regulate homeless encampments in public spaces.
- The measure follows a 73% increase in Union County's homeless population to 1,026 individuals amid New Jersey's total exceeding 12,000 in 2024, prompting local governments to respond.
- The ordinance requires outreach and behavioral health treatment before enforcing fines up to $500 or jail for 30 days if individuals refuse available, immediate indoor housing or shelters.
- Summit Mayor Elizabeth Fagan acknowledged that while the ordinance isn't ideal, it serves as an additional choice; however, the primary focus remains on addressing the needs of the people they aim to assist.
- Despite opposition from housing advocates warning the ordinance risks criminalizing vulnerable populations, city officials stress it prioritizes connecting homeless individuals with support services first.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Under the new law, local governments can prevent overpopulation in settlements by using local taxes, expanding pre-emptive rights, or attaching conditions to real estate purchases.
Anchorage Assembly members propose ordinance to penalize unauthorized squatters on public property
Three members of the Anchorage Assembly will on Tuesday introduce a new ordinance that would reinstate criminal penalties for unauthorized camping on public property. The effort is meant to address the lawless criminal encampments that have overtaken much of the city. The proposal, sponsored by Assembly Members Keith McCormick (South Anchorage, Girdwood), Scott Myers, and […] The post Anchorage Assembly members propose ordinance to penalize unau…
Encinitas will revise its Homeless Action Plan and add a new objective: to use law enforcement to combat illegal behavior by homeless individuals who resist services, especially in the city center. At the conclusion of a four-hour special meeting on Wednesday, the City Council voted unanimously to make a long list of changes to the planning document, which currently contains three objectives. Those three objectives are: – Increase the city and c…
Unhoused people could face fines, arrest if they don't use San Jose shelter resources
San Jose's city council could approve a new measure aimed at curbing unhoused encampments in that city: the "Responsibility to Shelter" ordinance would require people living on the street or along creek beds to use city sheltering resources, or face fines.
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